Connective tissue and dermatological disorders in pregnancy

Connective tissue disorders, particularly those that are autoimmune, are being seen with increasing frequency in the pregnant population. The care of these patients in pregnancy ranges from the routine to the complicated, with some of the conditions posing significant risks both to the mother and the fetus. Dermatological conditions are often encountered in pregnancy, and again range from the benign to those resulting in serious fetal and maternal morbidity, with a number being specific to pregnancy. An important issue for both groups of disorders is the use of particular medications during pregnancy. Those with pre-existing disease should ideally be counselled pre-pregnancy to optimize treatment and adjust medication as appropriate. During pregnancy, frequency of review and degree of treatment will depend on the severity of the condition, and may require multidisciplinary team involvement to optimize both maternal and fetal outcome, including obstetric physicians, obstetricians, anaesthetists, neonatologists, and geneticists.