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Maternal use of antihypertensive drugs in early pregnancy and delivery outcome, notably the presence of congenital heart defects in the infants

  • Pharmacoepidemiology and Prescription
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Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the association between maternal use of antihypertensives in early pregnancy and delivery outcome, notably infant congenital malformations.

Methods

A cohort study of 1,418 women who had used antihypertensive drugs in early pregnancy but had no diabetes diagnosis were identified from the Swedish Medical Birth Register.

Results

There was an excess risk for placental abruption, caesarean section, delivery induction, and post-delivery hemorrhage in women taking hypertensives. Infants were more often than expected born preterm, were small for gestational age, and had an excess of various neonatal symptoms. Cardiovascular defects occurred with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.59 (95% CI 1.92–3.51). The results were similar when the woman had used ACE inhibitors or other antihypertensives, notably beta blockers. Stillbirth rate was increased (risk ratio 1.87, 95% CI 1.02–3.02), again without any clear drug specificity.

Conclusions

There seems to be little drug specificity in the association between maternal use of antihypertensives and an increased risk for infant cardiovascular defects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Umeå, Umeå, Sweden

    Roland Lennestål

  2. Centre for Epidemiology, National Board of Health and Welfare, Stockholm, Sweden

    Petra Otterblad Olausson

  3. Tornblad Institute, University of Lund, Biskopsgatan 7, SE-223 62, Lund, Sweden

    Bengt Källén

Authors
  1. Roland Lennestål
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  2. Petra Otterblad Olausson
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  3. Bengt Källén
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bengt Källén.

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Lennestål, R., Otterblad Olausson, P. & Källén, B. Maternal use of antihypertensive drugs in early pregnancy and delivery outcome, notably the presence of congenital heart defects in the infants. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 65, 615–625 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-009-0620-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-009-0620-0

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