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Life
Special Issues
Diagnosis and Management of Maternal Medical Diseases in Pregnancy: Current...
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Diagnosis and Management of Maternal Medical Diseases in Pregnancy: Current Practice and Future Perspectives

A Special Issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729) belonging to the section "Medical Research".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 May 2026) | Viewed by 2734

Editors

Dr. Alexandra Arvanitaki

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Second Department of Cardiology, Ippokrateio General Hospital, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, St. Kiriakidi 1, 54642 Thessaloniki, Greece
2. Department of Emergency Medicine, AHEPA University Hospital, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, St. Kiriakidi 1, 54642 Thessaloniki, Greece
3. Adult Congenital Heart Disease Unit, Royal Brompton Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust, Sydney Street, London SW3 5NP, UK
Interests: emergency medicine; cardiovascular imaging; cardiac disease and pregnancy; congenital heart disease; pulmonary hypertension
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ioannis Tsakiridis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Third Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Agiou Dimitriou, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: maternal and fetal medicine; high-risk pregnancies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Medical diseases complicate approximately 10–15% of pregnancies worldwide, with variations based on geographic, socioeconomic, and healthcare factors. Common conditions include hypertension (gestational and chronic), diabetes mellitus (pre-existing and gestational), thyroid disorders, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases (congenital and acquired), infections, and renal diseases. The prevalence of these conditions is rising due to increasing maternal age, obesity, and improved survival rates of women with chronic illnesses. The diagnosis and management of medical diseases in pregnancy require a careful, multidisciplinary approach to ensure the health and safety of both the mother and the fetus. Accurate diagnosis involves a combination of clinical evaluation, laboratory testing, and imaging modalities, tailored to the specific condition. Management strategies aim to optimize maternal health while minimizing risks to fetal development. Pharmacological treatment should consider drug safety profiles in pregnancy. Regular antenatal monitoring helps detect complications early, facilitating timely interventions. Multidisciplinary coordination between obstetricians, internists, and specialists is essential for comprehensive care. This Special Issue seeks original research and review articles that focus on current diagnostic and management approaches in maternal medical diseases. Future perspectives in terms of gaps in current evidence should also be discussed.

Dr. Alexandra Arvanitaki
Dr. Ioannis Tsakiridis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Life is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • maternal medical disease
  • maternal cardiac disease
  • maternal thyroid disease
  • gestational diabetes
  • gestational hypertension
  • pre-eclampsia
  • diagnosis
  • management
  • maternal and fetal outcomes

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

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16 pages, 677 KB  
Review
Management of Newborns Exposed to Maternal Influenza: A Scoping Review
by Agata Kadaj, Paula Trif, Radu Galis, Sophie I. Kramer, Boris W. Kramer, Claudia Maria Jurca and Jan Mazela
Life 2026, 16(7), 1171; https://doi.org/10.3390/life16071171 - 15 Jul 2026
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Abstract
Background: Maternal influenza during the peripartum period poses a clinically significant risk to newborns, particularly for infants younger than 6 months. This group is especially vulnerable because of immune immaturity and the absence of an approved influenza vaccine for this age group. In [...] Read more.
Background: Maternal influenza during the peripartum period poses a clinically significant risk to newborns, particularly for infants younger than 6 months. This group is especially vulnerable because of immune immaturity and the absence of an approved influenza vaccine for this age group. In light of emerging influenza virus mutations with pandemic potential, current protocols require evaluation with respect to infection prevention. Objective: To map and synthesize the available evidence and recommendations on the management of neonates born to mothers with suspected or confirmed influenza, with particular focus on delivery, skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding, mother–infant separation, and neonatal antiviral therapy. Sources of Evidence: We performed a scoping review of the literature and professional guidance documents addressing the perinatal and postnatal management of newborns exposed to maternal influenza, using PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Embase, WHO, and CDC publications. The available evidence was synthesized narratively across the principal domains of clinical care. Conclusions: Current evidence does not support changing the mode of delivery solely because of maternal influenza. When the mother’s clinical condition permits, rooming-in, skin-to-skin contact, and breastfeeding can generally be supported with strict droplet precautions and hand hygiene. These practices provide substantial benefits for bonding, nutrition, and passive immune protection. Temporary separation may be considered in selected cases of severe maternal illness, although consistent evidence of benefit is limited. In neonates with suspected or confirmed influenza, early antiviral treatment should be considered in accordance with current pediatric guidance, whereas routine chemoprophylaxis in infants younger than 3 months remains insufficiently supported by evidence. Overall, recommendations remain heterogeneous, highlighting the need for higher-quality studies and clearer neonatal care pathways. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnosis and Management of Maternal Medical Diseases in Pregnancy: Current Practice and Future Perspectives)
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21 pages, 1374 KB  
Systematic Review
Impact of Cardiac Arrhythmias on Acute Maternal Cardiovascular Outcomes in Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Antonios Siargkas, Alexandra Arvanitaki, Areti Faka, Efstratios Karagiannidis, Barbara Fyntanidou, Aikaterini Apostolopoulou, Themistoklis Dagklis, Apostolos Mamopoulos, Antonios P. Antoniadis, Nikolaos Fragakis and Ioannis Tsakiridis
Life 2026, 16(2), 278; https://doi.org/10.3390/life16020278 - 5 Feb 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1501
Abstract
Cardiac arrhythmias are prevalent complications in pregnancy, yet their precise association with acute maternal cardiovascular morbidity and mortality remains unclear due to heterogeneous evidence. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the impact of maternal arrhythmias on acute cardiovascular outcomes. We searched Medline, Scopus, [...] Read more.
Cardiac arrhythmias are prevalent complications in pregnancy, yet their precise association with acute maternal cardiovascular morbidity and mortality remains unclear due to heterogeneous evidence. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the impact of maternal arrhythmias on acute cardiovascular outcomes. We searched Medline, Scopus, and Cochrane databases for observational studies comparing pregnant women with arrhythmias to those without. Random-effects meta-analyses were used to calculate pooled risk ratios (RR) for maternal mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Eleven studies comprising 76,028 pregnancies with arrhythmias and over 82 million controls were included. Analysis of data, primarily derived from large administrative cohorts with low absolute event rates, indicated that arrhythmias were significantly associated with increased all-cause maternal mortality (0.78% vs. 0.01%; RR 31.94; adjusted RR 8.91) and a composite of MACE (2.90% vs. 0.03%; RR 6.48). Supraventricular tachycardia and atrial fibrillation were associated with an increased likelihood of adverse outcomes. Notably, the relative risk of mortality and heart failure in women with arrhythmias versus controls was significantly higher in the general obstetric population around delivery than in women with known structural heart disease, suggesting a “sentinel event” phenomenon. Thromboembolic events were also 15 times more likely in the arrhythmia group. Cardiac arrhythmias during pregnancy are associated with substantial maternal morbidity and mortality. New-onset arrhythmias may warrant comprehensive cardiac evaluation, as they may unmask underlying pathology and precipitate severe hemodynamic compromise, particularly in women without prior cardiac history. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnosis and Management of Maternal Medical Diseases in Pregnancy: Current Practice and Future Perspectives)
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