Effect of Pregnancy on the Prognosis and Serology of Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Abstract
Summary The effect of pregnancy on the prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis was studied in 100 consecutive cases with pregnancies during the disease. The control group also comprised 100 cases. No significant difference between the two groups could be found in the prognostic criteria (ESR, hemoglobin, rheumatoid nodules, peripheral erosive arthritis, grade of disease, functional capacity, grade of disease activity). The effect of pregnancy on the results of tests for the rheumatoid factor was studied in 267 cases with pregnancies during arthritis. The control group consisted of 620 cases. The percentage of positive latex tests in the former group was 67.1 and in the latter 82.7. The corresponding figures for the Waaler-Rose test were 45.3 and 59.4. It is suggested that pregnancies during rheumatoid arthritis may have an inhibitory effect on the immunization mechanism responsible for the production of the rheumatoid factor.

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