title: Prescribing of sulfasalazine, azathioprine and methotrexate round pregnancy--a descriptive study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Continuation or discontinuation of drugs during pregnancy in chronic diseases is an issue of concern. Information on prescribing of disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) during pregnancy is scarce. In this study, we report prescribing patterns round pregnancy of sulfasalazine (SSZ), azathioprine (AZA), methotrexate (MTX) and co-medications among women to whom one of these DMARDs were prescribed before pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The pregnancy-interaction database (IADB.nl, 1994-2004), containing pharmacy dispensing data from Northern- Netherlands, was used. Women to whom SSZ (N = 13), AZA (N = 10) or MTX (N = 6) was prescribed before their first pregnancy were identified and described in detail.
  
  
  RESULTS
  AZA and SSZ are continued during pregnancy by 60% and 38% of the women, respectively, MTX was stopped before pregnancy. Among women receiving SSZ (N = 13) as their initial DMARD, anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic drugs (69%) and analgesics (45%) were the most commonly prescribed co-medications. Among women receiving AZA (N = 8) as their initial DMARD, corticosteroids for systemic use (100%) and intestinal anti-inflammatory agents (88%) were the most commonly prescribed co-medications. All women receiving intestinal anti-inflammatory drugs before pregnancy continued this during pregnancy, in contrast to other co-medications which were mainly discontinued.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study showed that DMARDs and co-medication are received before, during and after pregnancy, although no specific prescription patterns were found. Administrative databases, such as the pregnancy-IADB.nl, are useful in describing drug-prescribing patterns for better understanding of drug prescribing around pregnancy in daily practice. Based on these data, we conclude that prescribing of DMARDs and related co-medication is based on the individual patient.
authors.affiliation: University of Groningen, Department of Social Pharmacy, Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacotherapy, GUIDE Graduate school for Drug Exploration, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Fokaline
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vroom
authors.forename: Eric N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: van Roon
authors.forename: Paul B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: van den Berg
authors.forename: Jacobus R B J
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Brouwers
authors.forename: Lolkje T W
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: de Jong-van den Berg
mesh_terms: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001379:Azathioprine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016208:Databases, Factual; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011264:Pregnancy Trimesters; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D012307:Risk Factors; D012460:Sulfasalazine / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D012460:Sulfasalazine; D001379:Azathioprine; D008727:Methotrexate