Obesity and Antiphospholipid Syndrome: A Particular Challenge in Pregnancy

Abstract

Obesity is associated with a broad spectrum of chronic diseases, as well as cardiovascular diseases, such as diabetes, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and hyperglycemia. Obesity during pregnancy is of major concern due to the well-known risk factors for both the mother and the child. Complications in pregnancy include recurrent miscarriages, gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders, thromboembolism, and stillbirth. Additionally, maternal obesity seems to have long-term consequences for offspring, predisposing or “programming” them to the development of metabolic disease in adulthood. Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disease and is characterized by the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (anticardiolipin antibodies/ACLA, lupus antikoagulans/LA and ß2-glycoprotein) in the maternal circulation. These antibodies are associated with arterial and/or venous thromboses and with adverse obstetric outcomes such as recurrent fetal loss, Preeclampsia (PE), Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and Intrauterine fetal death (IUFD).