Macrolides Prescribed During Pregnancy and Risk of Fetal Malformations

Investigators from University College London, London, UK, conducted a retrospective cohort study to compare the risk of major malformation or neurodevelopmental disorder in children of mothers prescribed macrolides or penicillin during pregnancy. Study data were abstracted from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), which includes information on primary care visits made by 6.9% of the UK population. Data on mother-baby dyads are linked in the database. Study participants were children in the CPRD who were born between 1990 and 2016 and whose mothers were prescribed either macrolide or penicillin monotherapy between 4 gestational weeks and birth. These children were followed from birth to 14 years of age, or until death or the end of the study. Main study outcomes were major malformations (including nervous system, …