Increased risk of low birthweight, infants small for gestational age, and preterm delivery for women with peptic ulcer

Population-based cohort study: proton pump inhibitor use during pregnancy in Sweden and the risk of maternal and neonatal adverse events

BACKGROUND

Approximately half of all women suffer from heartburn at some stage during pregnancy. The most effective treatment is proton pump inhibitors, but the safety of use during pregnancy cannot be guaranteed. This study aimed to elucidate the effect of proton pump inhibitors on the risk of pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, preterm birth, an Apgar score at 5 min below 7, and a child being small or large for its gestational age.

METHODS

This Swedish population-based study included 1,089,514 live singleton deliveries between July 2006 and December 2016 in Sweden. Multiple logistic regression was used to model the outcomes as a function of the covariates. Results were presented as odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals.

RESULTS

In 1.4% of all pregnancies, the mother used proton pump inhibitors in the period from 3 months before the last menstrual period up to delivery. The use of proton pump inhibitors was associated with higher odds of pre-eclampsia (odds ratio = 1.19, 1.10-1.29), gestational diabetes mellitus (odds ratio = 1.29, 1.16-1.43), preterm birth (odds ratio = 1.23, 1.14-1.32), and small for gestational age (odds ratio = 1.27, 1.16-1.40) and lower odds of large for gestational age (odds ratio = 0.84, 0.77-0.91). No significant association was found with a low Apgar score 5 min after birth.

CONCLUSIONS

Proton pump inhibitor use was associated with a higher risk of pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm birth, and being born small for gestational age.

Pregnancy outcomes among women with peptic ulcer disease

Background Little is known about the impact of peptic ulcer disease (PUD) on pregnancy. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of PUD on pregnancy and newborn outcomes. Methods A retrospective cohort study was carried out using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)-National Inpatient Sample (NIS) from the United States. The cohort consisted of all births that took place from 1999 to 2015. PUD was classified on the basis of the International Classification of Diseases-Ninth Revision (ICD-9) coding. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the adjusted effect of PUD on maternal and neonatal outcomes. Results Of the 13,792,544 births in this cohort, 1005 were to women with PUD (7/100,000 births). Between 1999 and 2015, prevalence of PUD in pregnancy increased from 4/100,000 to 11/100,000, respectively. Women with PUD were more commonly older and more likely to have comorbid illnesses. Women with PUD were at greater risk of preeclampsia [odds ratio (OR) 2.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.67-2.66], preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM; OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.30-3.59), cesarean delivery (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.40-1.82), venous thromboembolism (OR 3.77, 95% CI 2.08-6.85) and maternal death (OR 24.50, 95% CI 10.12-59.32). Births to women with PUD were at increased risk of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR; OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.11-2.14), preterm birth (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.54-2.21), intrauterine fetal death (OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.35-3.52) and congenital anomalies (OR 2.69, 95% CI 1.59-4.56). Conclusion The prevalence of PUD in pregnancy has risen over the last several years. PUD in pregnancy should be considered a high-risk condition associated with important adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Systematic review with meta-analysis: the risks of proton pump inhibitors during pregnancy

BACKGROUND

There have been safety concerns considering long-term proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use, also during pregnancy.

AIMS

To assess the risk of adverse neonatal outcomes associated with maternal intake of PPIs by means of systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

The systematic search included PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Database and Embase (inception until June 2019). All studies reporting ≥1 adverse pregnancy outcome comparing PPI users to non-users. Histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RA) were also compared to both non-users and PPI users. Outcomes included congenital malformations, abortion, stillbirth, neonatal death, preterm birth, small for gestational age and low birth weight. Pooled odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained by random-effects modelling. PROSPERO study-protocol: CRD42018103320.

RESULTS

In total, 26 observational studies (20 cohort, 6 case-control studies) were identified, of which 19 assessed PPIs and 12 H2RA. PPI use was associated with an increased risk of congenital malformations (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.09-1.52), especially in case-control studies (OR 2.04, 1.46-2.86). No associations were found between H2RA and congenital malformations. No significant associations were found between PPI use and abortions, stillbirth, neonatal death, preterm birth and low-birth weight, although H2RA use may be associated with an increased risk of preterm birth (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.02-1.56). Although statistical heterogeneity and the risk of bias were overall low, clinical heterogeneity, information and selection bias may be present in the individual studies.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis suggests an association between maternal PPI use and congenital malformations in humans, yet power was insufficient to assess specific malformations and drugs.

Do nurses have worse pregnancy outcomes than non-nurses?

BACKGROUND

Nurses encounter multiple occupational exposures at work which may harm their reproductive health. The purpose of the study was to compare pregnancy complications and outcomes including cesarean deliveries, tocolysis, miscarriage, and preterm labor between female nurses and comparable women who were not nurses in Taiwan.

METHODS

This nationwide population-based study was performed using the National Health Insurance Research Database from 1997 to 2008. We identified 3,656 pregnancies among 2,326 nurses and 111,889 pregnancies among 74,919 non-nurses. A generalized estimating equation was used to compare risks between the two groups.

RESULTS

The rates of tocolysis (28.6 vs 22.3%), miscarriage (6.0 vs 5.3%), and preterm labor (8.1 vs 4.4%) were significantly higher among nurses than non-nurses. After adjustment for background differences, nurses had significantly higher risks for cesarean section (adjusted OR 1.12 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-1.22]), tocolysis (OR 1.18 [95% CI 1.09-1.29]), and preterm labor (OR 1.46 [95% CI 1.28-1.67]) than non-nurses.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses are at higher risk for cesarean section, tocolysis, and preterm labor than non-nurses. Occupational exposure related to these adverse pregnancy outcomes should be examined. Strategies to decrease the risks should be developed to improve reproductive health among nurses.