title: Asthma medication prescribing before, during and after pregnancy: a study in seven European regions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore utilisation patterns of asthma medication before, during and after pregnancy as recorded in seven European population-based databases.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive drug utilisation study.
  
  
  METHODS
  7 electronic healthcare databases in Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Italy (Emilia Romagna and Tuscany), Wales, and the Clinical Practice Research Datalink representing the rest of the UK.
  
  
  METHODS
  All women with a pregnancy ending in a delivery that started and ended between 2004 and 2010, who had been present in the database for the year before, throughout and the year following pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The percentage of deliveries where the woman received an asthma medicine prescription, based on prescriptions issued (UK) or dispensed (non-UK), during the year before, throughout or during the year following pregnancy. Asthma medicine prescribing patterns were described for 3-month time periods and the choice of asthma medicine and changes in prescribing over the study period were evaluated in each database.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 1,165,435 deliveries were identified. The prevalence of asthma medication prescribing during pregnancy was highest in the UK and Wales databases (9.4% (CI95 9.3% to 9.6%) and 9.4% (CI95 9.1% to 9.6%), respectively) and lowest in the Norwegian database (3.7% (CI95 3.7% to 3.8%)). In the year before pregnancy, the prevalence of asthma medication prescribing remained constant in all regions. Prescribing levels peaked during the second trimester of pregnancy and were at their lowest during the 3-month period following delivery. A decline was observed, in all regions except the UK, in the prescribing of long-acting β-2-agonists during pregnancy. During the 7-year study period, there were only small changes in prescribing patterns.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Differences were found in the prevalence of prescribing of asthma medications during and surrounding pregnancy in Europe. Inhaled β-2 agonists and inhaled corticosteroids were, however, the most popular therapeutic regimens in all databases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Bath, Bath, UK.
authors.forename: Rachel A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Charlton
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Psychology, National Research Council (IFC-CNR), Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pierini
authors.affiliation: Medical Birth Registry of Norway, The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Bergen, Norway Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Kari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Klungsøyr
authors.affiliation: Emilia Romagna Birth Registry, Centre for Clinical and Epidemiological Research, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Amanda J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Neville
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, College of Human and Health Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.affiliation: Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics Unit, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lolkje T W
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: de Jong-van den Berg
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Information, Research and Evaluation, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thayer
authors.affiliation: Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics Unit, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: H Jens
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Bos
authors.affiliation: Drug Policy Service, Emilia Romagna Region Health Authority, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Aurora
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Puccini
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Department, Hospital Lillebaelt, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Anne V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.affiliation: The Regional Agency for Public Health of Tuscany, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gini
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway Department of Pharmacoepidemiology, The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Engeland
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Nybo Andersen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nursing, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, UK.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dolk
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Department, Hospital Lillebaelt, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Ester
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Garne
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058666:Adrenergic beta-2 Receptor Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D058666:Adrenergic beta-2 Receptor Agonists; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents