Scleroderma and pregnancy

Pregnancy in systemic sclerosis is associated with a significant increase in preterm births, and thus, scleroderma patients should be managed in a high-risk obstetrical program and monitored very closely. Patients with diffuse scleroderma who develop hypertension should be carefully evaluated for renal crisis and treated aggressively with angiotensin converting enzyme-inhibitors if there is any question of scleroderma renal involvement.