Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors during pregnancy Do not increase the risk of Hirschsprung disease

Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) is a multifactorial disease. Maternal intake of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) during early pregnancy has previously been associated with increased risk for HSCR. The aim of this study was to assess the risk for HSCR in newborns after maternal intake of SSRI in a population-based Swedish cohort.

This was a Swedish nationwide, population-based, case-control cohort study containing all children born in Sweden between 1/12006 and 31/122012. The cases were identified in the Swedish National Patient Register and the controls (five age- and sex-matched controls per case) were randomly selected among children without HSCR in the cohort. Data on maternal SSRI use during pregnancy were collected from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register.

Out of 775,024 born children during the study period, 150 cases of HSCR (112 males) and 750 controls (560 males) were included. Five (3.3%) mothers of newborns with HSCR had used SSRI during pregnancy compared to 16 (2.1%) mothers of the controls (p = 0.372). The mean age was similar in mothers who had used SSRI compared to those who had not (30.9 (SD +/- 5.1) versus 30.6 (SD +/- 5.0), p = 0.81).

There was no increased risk of HSCR owing to maternal intake of SSRI in this cohort.

Level I.