Biologic exposure before and during pregnancy in women with inflammatory systemic disease does not increase risk of congenital anomalies, according to a recent publication in Rheumatology.
Through a meta-analysis, researchers determined the association between exposure to biologics in pregnant women with inflammatory systemic disease and maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Authors searched studies assessing the perinatal impacts of biologic exposure during pregnancy in Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Databases, including 24 studies in total in their analysis. Data were meta-analyzed with a random-effects model.
Biologic use during pregnancy in disease-matched exposed and unexposed pregnant women was not statistically significant for congenital anomalies on pooled analyses of adjusted risk estimates (adjusted OR 1.18, 95% CI, 0.88, 1.57).
“Pooled results from studies reporting adjusted risk estimates showed no increased risk of congenital anomalies associated with biologics use, suggesting that increased rates of adverse outcomes may be due to disease activity itself or other confounders,” concluded the study authors. –Lisa Kuhns
Reference
Tsao NW, Rebic N, Lynd LD, De Vera MA. Maternal and neonatal outcomes associated with biologic exposure before and during pregnancy in women with inflammatory systemic diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2020;59(8):1808-1817. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/keaa064
