Lupus & antiphospholipid syndrome
Hydroxychloroquine and pregnancy outcomes in patients with anti-phospholipid syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis
An erratum to this article was published (RMD Open, 9 Oct 2025 ↗)
Pooled result · Live birthsResult — go to the resultOdds ratio 2.66 95% CI 1.44–4.91Authors' conclusion
Our findings suggest that HCQ may offer potential benefits to APS patients during pregnancy by increasing the probability of live birth rates and lowering the risk for obstetric complications.
Study context
- Population
- Pregnant women diagnosed with anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS)
- Participants
- 750 women7 observational studies
- Comparison
- Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) plus standard therapy vs standard therapy alone
- Outcome
- Live births and obstetric complications
Methodological detailsPubMed and EMBASE searched April 2024
- PubMed and EMBASE searched April 2024
Pooled result
Live births
Odds ratio
2.66
95% CI 1.44–4.91
By group
HCQvs Non-HCQ
OR 2.66 (95% CI 1.44–4.91)
As reported in the abstract
Further pooled results
| Outcome | HCQ | Non-HCQ | OR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obstetric complications (co-main outcome)Pooled proportion | 19.3% (95% CI 9.4%–35.4) | 55.0% (95% CI 39.4–69.7) | 0.19 (0.19–0.39) | |
| I 2 | 81% | 79% | ||
| Studies | 4 | 4 | ||
| 0.20.5125Odds ratio (log scale) |
Safety
Tolerability of HCQ during pregnancy
- HCQ treatment during pregnancy was well tolerated
Original publication
Hydroxychloroquine and pregnancy outcomes in patients with anti-phospholipid syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. RMD Open. Published 27 August 2025. doi:10.
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