title: Teratogenic potential of vaginal metronidazole treatment during pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the human teratogenic potential of vaginal metronidazole treatment during pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The analysis of cases with different congenital abnormalities and their matched controls in the population-based data set of the large Hungarian Case-Control Surveillance of Congenital Abnormalities (HCCSCA), 1980-1996.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pregnant women (38,151) who had newborn infants without any congenital abnormalities (control group), 22,843 pregnant women who had newborn infants or fetuses with congenital abnormalities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two congenital abnormality groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of vaginal metronidazole treatment during pregnancy was 1.7% in the case group (388 pregnant women), while it was 1.5% in the control group (570 pregnant women) [crude prevalence odds ratio (POR) with 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1, 1.0-1.3]. Comparisons of cases and their matched controls showed an association between vaginal metronidazole treatment during the second and third months of gestation and congenital hydrocephalus (adjusted POR with 95% CI: 10.7, 1.1-104.5), however, based only on five cases. The evaluation of medically recorded metronidazole treatment did not confirm this association.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our finding can only be regarded as a signal for the possible association between vaginal treatment with metronidazole during pregnancy and congenital hydrocephalus.
authors.affiliation: Foundation for the Community Control of Hereditary Diseases, Törökvész lejto 32, 1026 Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Zoltán
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kazy
authors.forename: Erzsébet
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Puhó
authors.forename: Andrew E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Czeizel
mesh_terms: D000014:Abnormalities, Drug-Induced / Q000209:etiology*; D000282:Administration, Intravaginal; D000328:Adult; D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000139:chemically induced*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008795:Metronidazole / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000139:chemically induced*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D013723:Teratogens; D014627:Vaginitis / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local; D013723:Teratogens; D008795:Metronidazole