fluticasone and Heart-Defects--Congenital

Approximately 4% to 12% of pregnant women have asthma; few studies have examined the effects of maternal asthma medication use on birth defects. We examined whether maternal asthma medication use during early pregnancy increased the risk of selected birth defects.. National Birth Defects Prevention Study data for 2853 infants with 1 or more selected birth defects (diaphragmatic hernia, esophageal atresia, small intestinal atresia, anorectal atresia, neural tube defects, omphalocele, or limb deficiencies) and 6726 unaffected control infants delivered from October 1997 through December 2005 were analyzed. Mothers of cases and controls provided telephone interviews of medication use and additional potential risk factors. Exposure was defined as maternal periconceptional (1 month prior through the third month of pregnancy) asthma medication use (bronchodilator or anti-inflammatory). Associations between maternal periconceptional asthma medication use and individual major birth defects were estimated by using adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI).. No statistically significant associations were observed for maternal periconceptional asthma medication use and most defects studied; however, positive associations were observed between maternal asthma medication use and isolated esophageal atresia (bronchodilator use: aOR = 2.39, 95%CI = 1.23, 4.66), isolated anorectal atresia (anti-inflammatory use: aOR = 2.12, 95%CI = 1.09, 4.12), and omphalocele (bronchodilator and anti-inflammatory use: aOR = 4.13, 95%CI = 1.43, 11.95).. Positive associations were observed for anorectal atresia, esophageal atresia, and omphalocele and maternal periconceptional asthma medication use, but not for other defects studied. It is possible that observed associations may be chance findings or may be a result of maternal asthma severity and related hypoxia rather than medication use.

Topics: Abnormalities, Drug-Induced; Adult; Albuterol; Anal Canal; Androstadienes; Anti-Asthmatic Agents; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Anus, Imperforate; Asthma; Beclomethasone; Bronchodilator Agents; Case-Control Studies; Esophagus; Female; Fluticasone; Heart Defects, Congenital; Humans; Kidney; Limb Deformities, Congenital; Male; Middle Aged; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications; Pregnancy Trimester, First; Radius; Risk Factors; Spine; Trachea; United States; Young Adult

A 14-year-old girl had experienced gross peripheral oedema for nearly 2 years. She was under review by several paediatric specialists for a variety of problems. Her local paediatric team were unable to find the cause of her oedema, despite extensive investigations. Eventually, her mother discovered the cause was inhaled fluticasone, prescribed at normal dosage for asthma. As far as the authors are aware, this is the first reported case of peripheral oedema associated with the use of fluticasone. Peripheral oedema is a rare side-effect of fluticasone in the form of either seretide or flixotide. Physicians should be aware of this possibility in cases of resistant peripheral oedema with no other identified cause.

Topics: Abnormalities, Multiple; Adolescent; Androstadienes; Asthma; Bronchodilator Agents; Edema; Female; Fluticasone; Heart Defects, Congenital; Humans; Intellectual Disability; Leg