Oral pyridoxine during pregnancy : potential protective effect for cardiovascular malformations.
OBJECTIVE
To study the human risk and benefit of oral pyridoxine (vitamin B6) treatment during pregnancy.


METHODS
The analysis of cases with 25 congenital abnormality (CA) groups and their all-matched controls without CAs in the population-based dataset of the large Hungarian Case-Control Surveillance of Congenital Abnormalities, 1980-1996.


METHODS
22,843 cases of pregnant women who had newborns or fetuses with CAs and 38,151 pregnant women who had newborn infants without any CAs (control group).


METHODS
Prevalence of pyridoxine use in early pregnancy among mothers of cases with different CAs and control mothers with infants without any CA.


RESULTS
2013 (8.8%) case mothers and 4086 (10.7%) control mothers were treated with pyridoxine (adjusted prevalence odds ratio [POR] 0.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.7, 0.9). The analysis of cases with different defects and their all-matched controls did not indicate any obvious teratogenic potential of pyridoxine use during the second and third months of gestation, i.e. in the critical period for the development of most major CAs. However, some protective effect was found for cardiovascular malformations (adjusted POR 0.8; 95% CI 0.7, 0.9).


CONCLUSIONS
Treatment with pyridoxine during pregnancy does not indicate a teratogenic risk to the fetus, but may provide some protective effect for cardiovascular malformations.
Czeizel
Andrew E
AE
Foundation for the Community Control of Hereditary Diseases, Budapest, Hungary.
Puhó
Erzsébet
E
Bánhidy
Ferenc
F
Acs
Nándor
N
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D016208:Databases, Factual; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D011736:Pyridoxine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013723:Teratogens; D054079:Vascular Malformations / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014815:Vitamins / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D055815:Young Adult
D013723:Teratogens; D014815:Vitamins; D011736:Pyridoxine