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COVID-19 and pregnancy: A European study on pre- and post-infection medication use

Eimir Hurley Orcid Logo, Benjamin P. Geisler Orcid Logo, Angela Lupattelli Orcid Logo, Beatriz Poblador-Plou Orcid Logo, Régis Lassalle, Jérémy Jové, Marie-Agnes Bernard, Dunia Sakr, Gabriel Sanfélix-Gimeno Orcid Logo, Francisco Sánchez-Saez Orcid Logo, Clara L. Rodríguez-Bernal Orcid Logo, Mònica Sabaté Orcid Logo, Elena Ballarín Orcid Logo, Cristina Aguilera Orcid Logo, Sue Jordan Orcid Logo, Daniel Thayer, Ian Farr, Saira Ahmed, Claudia Bartolini Orcid Logo, Giorgio Limoncella, Olga Paoletti, Rosa Gini Orcid Logo, Luigi A. Maglanoc Orcid Logo, Elena Dudukina Orcid Logo, Vera Ehrenstein Orcid Logo, Ema Alsina, Tiago A. Vaz Orcid Logo, Judit Riera-Arnau Orcid Logo, Miriam C. J. M. Sturkenboom Orcid Logo, Hedvig M. E. Nordeng Orcid Logo

European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, Volume: 80, Issue: 5, Pages: 707 - 716

Swansea University Author: Sue Jordan Orcid Logo

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Abstract

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic has impacted medication needs and prescribing practices, including those affecting pregnant women. Our goal was to investigate patterns of medication use among pregnant women with COVID-19, focusing on variations by trimester of infection and location.MethodsWe conducted...

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Published in: European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
ISSN: 0031-6970 1432-1041
Published: Springer Science and Business Media LLC 2024
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa65969
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Abstract: PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic has impacted medication needs and prescribing practices, including those affecting pregnant women. Our goal was to investigate patterns of medication use among pregnant women with COVID-19, focusing on variations by trimester of infection and location.MethodsWe conducted an observational study using six electronic healthcare databases from six European regions (Aragon/Spain; France; Norway; Tuscany, Italy; Valencia/Spain; and Wales/UK). The prevalence of primary care prescribing or dispensing was compared in the 30-day periods before and after a positive COVID-19 test or diagnosis.ResultsThe study included 294,126 pregnant women, of whom 8943 (3.0%) tested positive for, or were diagnosed with, COVID-19 during their pregnancy. A significantly higher use of antithrombotic medications was observed particularly after COVID-19 infection in the second and third trimesters. The highest increase was observed in the Valencia region where use of antithrombotic medications in the third trimester increased from 3.8% before COVID-19 to 61.9% after the infection. Increases in other countries were lower; for example, in Norway, the prevalence of antithrombotic medication use changed from around 1–2% before to around 6% after COVID-19 in the third trimester. Smaller and less consistent increases were observed in the use of other drug classes, such as antimicrobials and systemic corticosteroids.ConclusionOur findings highlight the substantial impact of COVID-19 on primary care medication use among pregnant women, with a marked increase in the use of antithrombotic medications post-COVID-19. These results underscore the need for further research to understand the broader implications of these patterns on maternal and neonatal/fetal health outcomes.
Keywords: COVID-19; Pregnancy; Drug utilization study; Antithrombotic medications; Anti-bacterial agents; Steroids; Antiviral agents
College: Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
Funders: Open access funding provided by University of Oslo (incl Oslo University Hospital) The project has received support from the European Medicines Agency under the Framework service contract no. EMA/2018/28/PE (Lot 4).
Issue: 5
Start Page: 707
End Page: 716