Press Releases: Southern California
June 16, 2004
Pregnant women treating asthma with inhaled steroids are not at greater risk of pregnancy complications
PASADENA, Calif. – Pregnant women who use inhaled steroids to treat their asthma are not at a higher risk of having a complicated pregnancy, but those who require oral steroids may have an increased risk of premature deliveries.
"What remains to be discovered is whether oral steroids directly cause premature birth, or whether they are instead an indicator of asthma severe enough to cause the condition," said lead author Michael Schatz, MD, MS, Chief of the Department of Allergy, Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center. "Clearly, more studies are needed to understand the relationship between oral steroids and preterm delivery."
Maternal asthma has been reported to increase the risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy as well as early deliveries and lower birth weight infants. No increased risk of high blood pressure was seen in this study, and only asthmatic patients who received oral steroids were at increased risk for premature births. No adverse effects were associated with other asthma medications, including inhaled steroids, and inhaled bronchodilators.
The study was published in the June edition of the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology and was supported by grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.
The relationship between the use of asthma medications and pregnancy complications was evaluated by studying patients from the Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network from December, 1994 to February, 2000. Gestational medication use was determined by patient history at enrollment and at monthly visits during pregnancy.
The 2,123 asthmatic women studied ranged in age from 13 to 44, and 18 percent were smokers. Perinatal data were obtained at post-partum chart reviews. Perinatal outcome variables included gestational hypertension, preterm births, low birth-weight infants, small-for-gestational age infants, and major malformations.
The study's other authors are: Mitchell P. Dombrowski, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University; Robert Wise, MD, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Johns Hopkins University; Valerija Momirova, MS, of the Biostatistics Center, George Washington University, and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ohio State University; William Mabie, MD, of the University of Tennessee, Memphis; Roger B. Newman, MD, Medical College of South Carolina; John C. Hauth, MD, University of Alabama, Birmingham; Marshall Lindheimer, MD, the University of Chicago; Steve N. Caritis, MD, of the University of Pittsburgh-Magee Woman's Hospital; Kenneth J. Leveno, MD, UT Southwestern Medical Center; Paul Meis, MD, Wake Forest University; Menachem Miodovnik MD, of the University of Cincinnati; Ronald J. Wapner, MD, Thomas Jefferson University; Richard H. Paul MD, the University of Southern California; Michael W. Varner, MD, University of Utah; Mary Jo O'Sullivan, MD, the University of Miami; Gary R. Thurnau, MD, of the University of Oklahoma; and Deborah L. Conway, MD, of the University of Texas, San Antonio.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is America's leading integrated health plan. Founded in 1945, it is a nonprofit, group practice prepayment program with Southern California headquarters in Pasadena, California. Kaiser Permanente serves the health care needs of 3.3 million members in Southern California. Today it encompasses the nonprofit Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and their subsidiaries, and the for-profit Southern California Permanente Medical Group. Kaiser Permanente's Southern California Region includes more than 49,900 technical, administrative and clerical employees and caregivers, and more than 6,000 physicians representing all specialties. More information about Kaiser Permanente can be found at kaiserpermanente.org.
