Antidepressant Fluoxetine During Pregnancy associated with cardiovascular malformations in infants: Meta-analysis

Published On 2017-05-18 05:53 GMT   |   Update On 2017-05-18 05:53 GMT
Use of fluoxetine--the most commonly prescribed antidepressant--during pregnancy is linked with a slightly increased risk of malformations in infants, according to a recent analysis of published studies.

Shan-Yan Gao, et al through a recent study tried to investigate the safety of fluoxetine use during pregnancy, and to better understand the relationship between maternal fluoxetine use during the first trimester and congenital malformations in infants.

The researchers searched PubMed and Web of Science databases systematically from inception to 21 March 2016. Additional studies were identified in a manual search of the reference lists. Two reviewers independently extracted data. A third reviewer checked the data. Estimates were pooled using a random-effects model to calculate the summarized relative ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

The authors found that among 1918 initially identified articles, 16 cohort studies were included. The offspring of pregnant women exposed to fluoxetine during the first trimester had a statistically increased risk of major malformations, cardiovascular malformations , septal defects , and non-septal defect with low heterogeneity in infants. There were no significant observations of other system-specific malformations in the nervous system, eye, urogenital system, digestive system, respiratory system, or musculoskeletal system, respectively. There was no indication of publication bias.

The authors concluded that the results of this meta-analysis indicate maternal fluoxetine use is associated with a slightly increased risk of cardiovascular malformations in infants. Health care providers and pregnant women must weigh the risk-benefit potential of these drugs when making decisions about whether to treat with fluoxetine during pregnancy.

The findings are published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

Similar research was published at an earlier time in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

For more details : http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bcp.13321/abstract
Article Source : Press Release

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