Pityriasis Rosea Before 15 Weeks May Up Pregnancy Risks

TOPLINE:

In a review of pregnant patients with pityriasis rosea (PR), 19% experienced unfavorable outcomes, which were higher in cases that occurred before 15 weeks gestation.

METHODOLOGY:

• To address conflicting data on the impact of PR on pregnancy outcomes, researchers conducted a review of 11 articles (published between 1950 and 2024) and 177 pregnant women (mean age, 29.5 years) with PR, which may be related to reactivation of human herpesvirus 6 and 7 during pregnancy.
• Information on the onset of PR was available in 92 patients and was included in the analysis.
• Researchers assessed the following unfavorable pregnancy outcomes: Spontaneous abortion, preterm delivery before 37 weeks of gestation, birth weight less than 2500 g, and meconium passage before delivery.

TAKEAWAY:

• Among the 177 patients, unfavorable outcomes were reported in 34 patients (19%), including 14 (8%) spontaneous abortions.
• Among the 92 patients with data on the onset of PR, onset before 15 weeks gestation had higher unfavorable outcomes (41%), including a higher rate of spontaneous abortion (27%).
• Patients with PR onset after 15 weeks showed lower unfavorable outcome rates (21%) with no spontaneous abortions.

IN PRACTICE:

“Though a direct causal association cannot be elucidated, and despite potential biases in the available data, there is a potential detriment of PR in pregnancy,” the authors wrote. “As such, we recommend close follow-up and consideration of antiviral treatment for pregnant PR patients with high-risk factors.”

SOURCE:

The study was led by Sophia Manduca, BS, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York City, and was published online on January 16 in the International Journal of Women’s Dermatology.

LIMITATIONS:

Limitations included the minimal available literature on PR in pregnancy and inconsistent data reporting across reviewed studies. The retrospective design limited the ability to establish causation, and confounding factors could be present.

DISCLOSURES:

The study did not receive any funding. Two authors reported serving on advisory board, consulting, and receiving royalties from Procter & Gamble, UpToDate, Incyte, Moberg Pharma, BelleTorus Corporation, Eli Lilly and Company, and Ortho Dermatologics.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.