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Association between antidepressant drug use during pregnancy and child healthcare utilisation

T F Ververs1, K van Wensen, M W Freund

  • 1Department of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacotherapy, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

BJOG : an International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
|August 18, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Antidepressant use during pregnancy led to higher healthcare utilization in children, including increased cardiac interventions. This association persisted even when mothers stopped medication before pregnancy.

Area of Science:

  • Perinatal mental health
  • Pediatric healthcare utilization
  • Drug safety in pregnancy

Background:

  • Maternal antidepressant use during pregnancy is a growing concern.
  • Understanding the impact on child healthcare needs is crucial.
  • Previous research has yielded mixed results on long-term effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare healthcare utilization in children exposed to antidepressants in utero versus those with no exposure.
  • To investigate specific healthcare needs, particularly cardiac-related, in these children.
  • To assess the influence of maternal antidepressant cessation before pregnancy.

Main Methods:

  • A large cohort study utilizing Dutch health insurance records.
  • Inclusion of 38,602 children born between 2000 and 2005.
  • Analysis focused on healthcare utilization in the first year of life, with emphasis on cardiac conditions.

Main Results:

  • Children exposed to maternal antidepressant use exhibited increased healthcare utilization.
  • A trend towards higher drug use for infections and inflammation was observed.
  • Significantly increased risk of cardiac interventions (RR 5.6) and physiotherapy (RR 2.0) in exposed children.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal antidepressant use during pregnancy is linked to elevated child healthcare utilization.
  • There is an increased risk of major cardiac interventions in early childhood following prenatal exposure.
  • These findings highlight the importance of monitoring healthcare needs in children exposed to antidepressants.
Abstract

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