Pregnant women with asthma should continue medication use
People who require medication to cope with asthma can save money by purchasing their drugs at a Canadian pharmacy.
People who require medication to cope with asthma can save money by purchasing their drugs at a Canadian pharmacy. While there has been concern surrounding the use of these medications among pregnant women, new research suggests that any risks for birth defects associated with these drugs are statistically insignificant, as reported in HealthDay.
Up to 12 percent of pregnant women have asthma, according to the study team. In order to assess the impact of this condition during pregnancy, the scientists compared the medical data of 2,900 babies delivered with birth defects to 6,700 healthy controls. They also collected information on maternal medication use, spanning one month before to the duration of pregnancy, including bronchodilators and anti-inflammatories used for asthma.
Results showed a slight association between asthma medication and birth defects of the gastrointestinal tract. However, this risk increase was statistically insignificant, going from 1.2 to 4.6 per 10,000 births.
"It is possible that observed associations may be chance findings or may be a result of maternal asthma severity and related hypoxia rather than medication use," the researchers wrote in the study, published in the journal Pediatrics.
Expectant mothers should continue taking these medications as prescribed in order to maintain oxygen levels, while all women should talk to their doctors about their asthma before getting pregnant, experts told HealthDay.
Asthma may be the result of a combination of genetics, respiratory infections in childhood or exposure to certain allergens, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.
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