Objective
We evaluated if acetaminophen, one of the most frequently used drugs among pregnant
women is associated with an increased prevalence of congenital abnormalities.
Study Design
We selected 88,142 pregnant women and their liveborn singletons from the Danish National
Birth Cohort who had information on acetaminophen use during the first trimester of
pregnancy. We used the National Hospital Registry to identify 3784 (4.3%) children
from the cohort diagnosed with 5847 congenital abnormalities.
Results
Children exposed to acetaminophen during the first trimester of pregnancy (n = 26,424)
did not have an increased prevalence of congenital abnormalities (hazard ratio = 1.01,
0.93-1.08) compared with nonexposed children (n = 61,718). No association was found
between congenital abnormalities and duration of use during the first trimester. Increased
prevalence was not observed for specific abnormalities, except for “medial cysts,
fistula, sinus” (congenital abnormalities of the ear, face, and neck, ICD-10 code
Q18.8, n = 43) with an adjusted hazard ratio of 2.15 (1.17-3.95).
Conclusion
Acetaminophen is not associated with an increased prevalence of congenital abnormalities
overall or with any specific group of major abnormalities.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
August 20,
2007
Received in revised form:
August 7,
2007
Received:
January 17,
2007
Footnotes
This study was supported by a major grant from the Danish National Research Foundation, with additional support from the Pharmacy Foundation, the Egmont Foundation, the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, the Augustinus Foundation, and the Health Foundation.
Cite this article as: Rebordosa C, Kogevinas M, Horváth-Puhó E, et al. Acetaminophen use during pregnancy: effects on risk for congenital abnormalities. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008;198:178.e1-178.e7.
Identification
Copyright
© 2008 Mosby, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
