1. Prescription Medication Use in Pregnancy in People with Disabilities: A Population-Based Cohort Study.
- Author
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Camden, Andi, Grandi, Sonia M., Lunsky, Yona, Ray, Joel G., Sharpe, Isobel, Lu, Hong, Guttmann, Astrid, Tailor, Lauren, Vigod, Simone, De Vera, Mary A., and Brown, Hilary K.
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POISSON distribution , *DRUG-induced abnormalities , *WOMEN , *RESEARCH funding , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *TERATOGENIC agents , *POLYPHARMACY , *LONGITUDINAL method , *INTELLECTUAL disabilities , *DEVELOPMENTAL disabilities , *PHYSICIAN practice patterns , *PRECONCEPTION care , *DRUGS , *DRUG prescribing , *COMPARATIVE studies , *CONFIDENCE intervals , *COUNSELING , *DRUG utilization , *PEOPLE with disabilities , *PREGNANCY - Abstract
Background: Individuals with disabilities may require specific medications in pregnancy. The prevalence and patterns of medication use, overall and for medications with known teratogenic risks, are largely unknown. Methods: This population-based cohort study in Ontario, Canada, 2004–2021, comprised all recognized pregnancies among individuals eligible for public drug plan coverage. Included were those with a physical (n = 44,136), sensory (n = 13,633), intellectual or developmental (n = 2,446) disability, or multiple disabilities (n = 5,064), compared with those without a disability (n = 299,944). Prescription medication use in pregnancy, overall and by type, was described. Modified Poisson regression generated relative risks (aRR) for the use of medications with known teratogenic risks and use of ≥2 and ≥5 medications concurrently in pregnancy, comparing those with versus without a disability, adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical factors. Results: Medication use in pregnancy was more common in people with intellectual or developmental (82.1%), multiple (80.4%), physical (73.9%), and sensory (71.9%) disabilities, than in those with no known disability (67.4%). Compared with those without a disability (5.7%), teratogenic medication use in pregnancy was especially higher in people with multiple disabilities (14.2%; aRR 2.03, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.88–2.20). Furthermore, compared with people without a disability (3.2%), the use of ≥5 medications concurrently was more common in those with multiple disabilities (13.4%; aRR 2.21, 95% CI: 2.02–2.41) and an intellectual or developmental disability (9.3%; aRR 2.13, 95% CI: 1.86–2.45). Interpretation: Among people with disabilities, medication use in pregnancy is prevalent, especially for potentially teratogenic medications and polypharmacy, highlighting the need for preconception counseling/monitoring to reduce medication-related harm in pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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