Use of medicines with unknown fetal risk among parturient women from the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort (Brazil).
BACKGROUND
To estimate the exposure to medicines with unknown fetal risk during pregnancy and to analyze the maternal characteristics associated with it.


METHODS
A questionnaire was administered to 4,189 mothers of children belonging to the 2004 Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohort study about use of any medicine during gestation. We evaluated the associations between use of medicines with unknown fetal risk and the independent variables through logistic regression models. Unknown fetal risk was defined as medicines in which studies in animals have revealed adverse effects on the fetus, and no controlled studies in women, or studies in women and animals, are available.


RESULTS
Out of the 4,189 women, 52.5% used at least one medicine from unknown fetal risk. Use of these medicines was associated with white skin color, high schooling, high income, six or more antenatal care consultations, hospital admission during pregnancy, and morbidity during gestation.


CONCLUSIONS
The use of unknown fetal risk medicines is high, suggesting that their use must be addressed with caution with the aim of restricting their use to cases in which the benefits are greater than the potential risks.
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Rua Marechal Deodoro, 1160, 3 Piso, 96020-220 Pelotas, RS, Brazil. andreadamaso.epi@gmail.com
Andréa Dâmaso
AD
Bertoldi
Tatiane
T
da Silva Dal Pizzol
Aline Lins
AL
Camargo
Aluísio J D
AJ
Barros
Alicia
A
Matijasevich
Iná S
IS
Santos
D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012306:Risk; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires