Women with lupus  are 20 times more likely to die during pregnancy and four times more likely to suffer from eclampsia, a serious condition  associated  with seizures.

These results were included in the largest study conducted to examine the outcomes of pregnant lupus patients presented at the 2006 annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology.

Researchers warn that  risks are infrequent and  that most lupus patients can go on to have  healthy pregnancies.

"Women with lupus need to be followed very carefully by a rheumatologist and a high-risk obstetrician, but the majority of women with lupus can -- and will -- have a successful pregnancy and deliver a healthy baby," says researcher Megan Clowse, MD.

Study results, found in the article on WebMD, used a national database to compare the risks of women with lupus and those without lupus. Researchers included records of over 17000 women with lupus who gave birth   during 2000 to 2002.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease, which can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, lungs, nervous system, and other organs. Most likely to strike women in their childbearing years, it's also 10 times more likely to afflict women than men in general.