Study objective: To estimate the prevalence of congenital anomalies between the offspring of women exposed and unexposed to asthma drugs during early pregnancy.
Design: Matched cohort study.
Database: The United Kingdom's General Practice Research Database.
Patients: Women exposed to asthma drugs during early pregnancy and a sample of matched unexposed pregnant women.
Measurements and main results: The prevalence of any anomaly among unexposed and exposed women was 27.8 (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.4-30.6)/1000 pregnancies and 31.3 (95% CI 27.7-35.5)/1000 pregnancies, respectively (relative risk [RR] 1.1 95% CI 1.0-1.3).
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that asthma drugs, overall, do not increase the risk of congenital anomalies in the offspring when taken during the first trimester of pregnancy.
© 2013 Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.