Women with rheumatic disease, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, are often prescribed azathioprine to control disease activity during pregnancy. However, the changes in azathioprine metabolite levels throughout pregnancy in such women are yet to be well-characterized. It was a pleasure to talk with Dr. Catherine Sims (Duke University, Durham, NC, USA) around her study investigating the changes in azathioprine metabolites during pregnancy, and the relationships that were found between metabolite concentrations, maternal disease activity and neonatal outcomes.
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The abstract ‘‘Azathioprine Metabolite Levels and Outcomes During Pregnancies in Women with Rheumatic Disease.‘ (Abstract number: 0958) was presented at the ACR Convergence, November 10–14, 2022.
Questions
- What are the potential issues of the widespread use of azathioprine during pregnancy in women with rheumatic disease? (0:14)
- What were the aims, design and inclusion criteria of your study? (1:15)
- What changes in azathioprine metabolites were found at the different stages of pregnancy? (2:20)
- What relationships were found between metabolite concentrations, maternal disease activity and neonatal outcomes? (3:05)
- What questions remain unanswered and what future studies are planned? (4:14)
Disclosures: Catherine Sims discloses grant/research support from UCB.
Support: Interview and filming supported by Touch Medical Media Ltd. Interview conducted by Atiya Henry.
Filmed in coverage of the ACR Convergence 2022.
