Severe Maternal Psoriasis Linked to Low Birth Weight

TUESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Women with severe psoriasis are 1.4 times more likely to have a low birth weight (LBW) infant, but mild psoriasis is not related to an increased risk of adverse birth outcomes, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Ya-Wen Yang, M.D., of the Taipei Medical University and Hospital in Taiwan, and colleagues investigated the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in 11,704 randomly selected mothers without psoriasis and 1,463 mothers with psoriasis. The researchers calculated the risk of LBW, preterm birth, cesarean section, small for gestational age, and preeclampsia or eclampsia for the two groups after adjusting for characteristics of the parents and infant.

The study found that women with severe psoriasis were 1.4 times more likely to have an LBW baby than were women without psoriasis. Women with mild psoriasis did not have significantly higher odds of adverse pregnancy outcomes than unaffected women.

"Both dermatologists and obstetricians should be aware of the possibility of adverse obstetric and perinatal outcomes in psoriatic pregnant women, especially those whose condition is severe," the authors write.

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