2026 American Academy of Neurology Abstract Website

Objective:

To evaluate pregnancy outcomes in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjögren’s syndrome (SS), Behçet’s disease (BD) and sarcoidosis, with and without neurologic involvement.

Background:

Pregnancy in women with autoimmune rheumatologic diseases carries increased maternal and neonatal risks. Neurological involvement, seen in SLE, BD, SS, and sarcoidosis, may further worsen reproductive outcomes, yet existing data is very limited.

Design/Methods:

This is an ongoing retrospective cohort study at Mass General Brigham (2010–2025). Women ≥18 years with one of four autoimmune conditions, pregnancy with known outcomes, and presence or absence of neurologic involvement within 12 months pre-pregnancy and/or intrapartum, are included. Subjects will be matched 1:1 based on autoimmune condition, age, parity status, other co-morbidities, and neurologic involvement. The data includes demographics, rheumatologic disease activity, medication use, and maternal/fetal outcomes. Planned analyses will include descriptive statistics for baseline characteristics. Categorical outcomes (e.g., miscarriage, preeclampsia, NICU admission) will be compared using chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests. Continuous outcomes (e.g., birth weight, gestational age) will be analyzed with t-tests or Mann–Whitney U tests. Multivariable regression models will adjust for confounders including age, disease activity, medication use, and comorbidities. Statistical significance will be set at p<0.05

Results:

Data collection and analysis are currently in progress. Identified cases to date show diverse neurological involvement, including seizures, myelitis, and cerebrovascular events. Final analysis will compare maternal outcomes (miscarriage, preeclampsia, preterm delivery) and neonatal outcomes (low birth weight, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission, infections, other perinatal complications) between women with and without neurological disease, and will be presented during the conference.

Conclusions:

This study will provide the first systematic comparison of pregnancy outcomes in women with rheumatologic diseases with and without neurological involvement. Findings may guide counseling, risk stratification, and management strategies for this high-risk population.