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NEW YORK, Mar 06 (Reuters Health) - Women who take aspirin and similar painkillers during pregnancy may be putting their babies at risk for a life-threatening lung disorder, study findings suggest.
Women who took at least one type of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) during their pregnancy were about 21-times more likely to have a baby with persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN), according to a report in the March issue of Pediatrics. The disorder occurs when an infant's lungs resist blood flow, resulting in a lack of oxygen to the body's tissues. Between 1,000 and 2,000 babies in the US are born with PPHN each year.
The investigators found that pregnant women commonly use NSAIDs--particularly aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen. The study authors recommend that doctors stress the risks of taking NSAIDs to pregnant women, who have been shown to underreport their use of these drugs. In addition, educating women that some other over-the-counter medications contain NSAIDs may also help reduce the number of babies born with PPHN each year, the report indicates.
"The easy access of over-the-counter NSAIDs to pregnant women should be reevaluated, and the potential dangers of these drugs to the newborn infant should be more effectively promoted," according to Dr. Maria Andrea Alano from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and colleagues.
Their analysis of meconium--an infant's first stool--in 101 newborns revealed that nearly half of women took at least one NSAID. Aspirin was found in nearly 44% of these samples, ibuprofen in about 23%, and naproxen in 19%. But only 1% of women reported using aspirin, about 13% reported using ibuprofen, and less than 12% said they used naproxen, according to medical records.
The researchers explain that meconium is formed as early as the 12th week of gestation and excreted shortly after birth. For this reason meconium drug analysis is increasingly used to identify newborns who have been exposed to a range of substances.
The findings support earlier studies showing a link between NSAIDs and PPHN. Other risk factors include respiratory distress syndrome and streptococcal pneumonia.
SOURCE: Pediatrics 2001;107:519-523.
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