Background
Depression and anxiety during pregnancy are associated with adverse health outcomes for both mother and child. This study aims to investigate the occurrence of symptoms of depression and ...anxiety in early and late pregnancy, the longitudinal changes from early to late pregnancy, and factors associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety in pregnant women in the Netherlands.
Methods
We studied 2897 women participating in the PRegnancy and Infant DEvelopment (PRIDE) Study. To assess symptoms of depression and anxiety, web‐based questionnaires including the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and multiple questions on maternal characteristics were completed in early and late pregnancy. Cross‐sectional and longitudinal multivariable linear regression analyses were conducted.
Results
The depressive symptoms in our population increased, with a prevalence of probable depression from 5.4% in early pregnancy to 10.0% in late pregnancy (P < .001), whereas the anxiety symptoms decreased, with a prevalence of probable anxiety from 17.9% to 14.2% (P < .001). Characteristics associated with depressive or anxiety symptoms included low level of education, multiparity, a history of depression, severe nausea, extreme fatigue, lack of physical exercise, and negative life events. Being non‐Dutch, not living with a partner, and having an unplanned pregnancy or a long time to pregnancy were associated with the depressive and/or anxiety symptoms in early pregnancy only.
Discussion
Symptoms of depression and anxiety are common in both early and late pregnancy. Screening for risk factors in early pregnancy is important, since prenatal depression and anxiety may be related to adverse maternal and child health outcomes.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The traditional epidemiologic modes of data collection, including paper-and-pencil questionnaires and interviews, have several limitations, such as decreasing response rates over the last decades and ...high costs in large study populations. The use of Web-based questionnaires may be an attractive alternative but is still scarce in epidemiologic research because of major concerns about selective nonresponse and reliability of the data obtained. The authors discuss advantages and disadvantages of Web-based questionnaires and current developments in this area. In addition, they focus on some practical issues and safety concerns involved in the application of Web-based questionnaires in epidemiologic research. They conclude that many problems related to the use of Web-based questionnaires have been solved or will most likely be solved in the near future and that this mode of data collection offers serious benefits. However, questionnaire design issues may have a major impact on response and completion rates and on reliability of the data. Theoretically, Web-based questionnaires could be considered an alternative or complementary mode in the range of epidemiologic methods of data collection. Practice and comparisons with the traditional survey techniques should reveal whether they can fulfill their expectations.
Background. Streptococcus bovis has long been associated with colorectal cancer (CRC). However, not all genospecies are as closely related to CRC. With this systematic review, we aim to increase the ...awareness of the association between S. bovis biotype I (Streptococcus gallolyticus) and CRC and urge for uniform molecular microbiological classification. Methods. In January 2011, the PubMed database was searched for all studies that investigated the association between S. bovis, infective endocarditis (IE), and CRC. A total of 191 studies were screened for eligibility and yielded 52 case reports and 31 case series, of which 11 were used for meta-analysis on the association between S. bovis biotype, IE, and adenomas/carcinomas (CRC). Results. Among the S. bovis—infected patients who underwent colonic evaluation, the median percentage of patients who had concomitant adenomas/carcinomas was 60% (interquartile range, 22%), which largely exceeds the disease rate reported in the general asymptomatic population. Meta-analysis showed that patients with S. bovis biotype I infection had a strongly increased risk of having CRC (pooled odds ratio OR, 7.26; 95% confidence interval CI, 3.94—13.36) and IE (pooled OR, 16.61; 95% CI, 8.85—31.16), compared with S. bovis biotype II—infected patients. Notably, CRC occurred more often among patients with S. bovis IE than among patients with S. bovis infection at other sites (pooled OR, 3.72; 95% CI, 2.03—6.81). Conclusions. Our meta-analysis clearly indicates that S. bovis should no longer be regarded as a single species in clinical practice, because S. gallolyticus (S. bovis biotype I) infection, in particular, has an unambiguous association with CRC.
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BFBNIB, NUK, PNG, UL, UM, UPUK
The aim of this study was to systematically review and meta-analyse observational studies on prenatal maternal psychological stress and the subsequent development of asthma and wheezing in early ...childhood.All available published literature from 1960 until November 2013 was systematically searched through electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, PsycInfo and Web of Science). All observational studies assessing associations between any form of prenatal maternal psychological stress and respiratory morbidity in the child were included. Data extraction, quality assessment and meta-analyses were performed.The overall meta-analysis included 10 studies and showed that the prevalence of wheezing, asthma and other respiratory symptoms is higher in children of mothers who were exposed to or experienced some form of psychological stress during pregnancy than in mothers who did not (pooled OR 1.56 (95% CI 1.36-1.80)). Comparable results were observed in subgroup analyses of stress exposure, perceived stress, asthma and wheezing.This study demonstrates that prenatal maternal psychological stress is associated with respiratory morbidity, including asthma and wheezing in the child. Future studies examining the early origins of asthma and wheezing need to account for the impact of prenatal maternal stress.
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, with cortisol as its final metabolite, has been proposed as a potential underlying biological mechanism for associations between depression and stress ...symptoms during pregnancy and adverse perinatal outcomes. In this study, we explored associations between salivary cortisol as a potential biomarker for stress and depressive symptoms and several self-completed psychological measurement scales among pregnant women. In total, 652 pregnant women participating in the PRegnancy and Infant DEvelopment (PRIDE) Study completed the Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS), Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Questionnaire-Revised (PRAQ-R), and Tilburg Pregnancy Distress Scale (TPDS) and collected a single awakening salivary cortisol sample around gestational week 17. Odds ratios, Spearman's correlation coefficients (ρs) and Cohen's Kappa coefficients (κ) were calculated to examine the associations between the EDS, PHQ-2, PRAQ-R, TPDS, and maternal cortisol levels. The overall correlation coefficient between the score on the EDS and the salivary cortisol level was 0.01 (p = 0.89) with κ = -0.01 (95% confidence interval CI -0.08-0.06). We did not observe agreement between the PHQ-2 and cortisol levels either (κ = 0.06 (95% CI -0.02-0.14)). The results for the PRAQ-R and TPDS were similar with overall correlations with maternal cortisol levels of ρs = 0.01 (p = 0.81) and ρs = 0.06 (p = 0.35) and agreements of κ = 0.02 (95% CI -0.06-0.09) and κ = -0.02 (95% CI -0.11-0.07), respectively. Maternal awakening salivary cortisol levels and measures of maternal psychological distress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and pregnancy-related anxiety, assessed by self-completed questionnaires, did not seem to be related in mid-pregnancy.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The hypercoagulable state observed in COVID‐19 could be responsible for morbidity and mortality. In this retrospective study we investigated whether therapeutic anticoagulation prior to infection has ...a beneficial effect in hospitalized COVID‐19 patients. This study included 1154 COVID‐19 patients admitted to 6 hospitals in the Netherlands between March and May 2020. We applied 1:3 propensity score matching to evaluate the association between prior therapeutic anticoagulation use and clinical outcome, with in hospital mortality as primary endpoint. In total, 190 (16%) patients used therapeutic anticoagulation prior to admission. In the propensity score matched analyses, we observed no associations between prior use of therapeutic anticoagulation and overall mortality (risk ratio 1.02 95% confidence interval; 0.80–1.30) or length of hospital stay (7.0 4–12 vs. 7.0 4–12 days, P = .69), although we observed a lower risk of pulmonary embolism (0.19 0.05–0.80). This study shows that prior use of therapeutic anticoagulation is not associated with improved clinical outcome in hospitalized COVID‐19 patients.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Purpose
Pregnant women are at higher risk of severe illness and adverse pregnancy outcomes due to a SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, which can be prevented by vaccination. Observational studies are needed to ...ascertain the safety of COVID‐19 vaccination during pregnancy. We aimed to determine whether COVID‐19 vaccination before and during pregnancy is associated with the risk of miscarriage.
Methods
In this cohort study, we included 4640 pregnant women (mean age: 32.8 ± 3.7 years) from the Dutch Pregnancy Drug Register between February 2021 and August 2022. Information on COVID‐19 vaccinations, miscarriage, and confounders was self‐reported, using web‐based questionnaires. The hazard ratio (HR) of miscarriage (in gestational weeks 6–20) after a COVID‐19 vaccination, was estimated using the survival analyses. A COVID‐19 vaccination during pregnancy (≥1 COVID‐19 vaccination between week 2 and 20 of pregnancy) was included as a time‐dependent exposure and vaccination prior to pregnancy was included as a binary exposure.
Results
A total of 3202 pregnant women (69%) received ≥1 COVID‐19 vaccine in gestational week 2–20. We observed no association of vaccination during pregnancy with the risk of miscarriage (adjusted HR = 1.29, 95% CI = 0.93–1.74). Vaccination prior to pregnancy, however, was associated with a decreased risk of miscarriage (adjusted HR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.48–0.99).
Conclusions
We demonstrated that COVID‐19 vaccination during pregnancy is not associated with an increased risk of miscarriage in gestational weeks 6–20. This study adds to the growing body of evidence demonstrating the safety of COVID‐19 vaccination during pregnancy.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
To determine antiemetic prescription fill patterns during pregnancy in Norway, with special focus on the use of ondansetron and recurrent use in subsequent pregnancies.
We conducted a ...population-based registry study based on data from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway linked to the Norwegian Prescription Database for 762,437 pregnancies >12 gestational weeks ending in live or non-live births between 2005 and 2017. Prescription fills of medications used for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy were summarized in treatment pathways to determine drug utilization patterns. Logistic regression analyses were used to estimate associations between maternal and pregnancy characteristics and antiemetic prescription fills.
The prescription fill rate for antiemetic medication during pregnancy was 7.6%. However, prescription fill rates were 35.5% in the second pregnancy after filling an antiemetic prescription in the first pregnancy and 53.5% for women who filled antiemetic prescriptions in the previous 2 pregnancies. Among pregnancies with antiemetic prescription fills, 62.2% were dispensed metoclopramide, 28.2% meclizine, and 17.2% promethazine. First-line treatment started with monotherapy in 97.4% of these pregnancies, which was the only treatment received in 78.7%. Prescriptions for ondansetron were filled in 0.3% of pregnancies, with 76.9% being initially filled in the first trimester. Ondansetron as first-line prescription medication and/or use in the first trimester was associated with proxies for more severe nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, including a diagnosis of hyperemesis gravidarum, multiple gestations, a higher obstetric comorbidity index, and concomitant use of medication for gastroesophageal reflux disease and nervous system medications. Women who filled an antiemetic prescription in their first pregnancy were less likely to have subsequent pregnancies than women who did not fill an antiemetic prescription in their first pregnancy (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.90-0.96).
Complex patterns of antiemetic prescription fills in pregnancy may mirror the challenge of optimal management of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy in clinical practice, especially for women with severe symptoms.
Abstract Background According to the 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 4.6% of American women reported use of an illicit drug during pregnancy. Previous studies on illicit drug use during ...pregnancy and perinatal outcomes showed inconsistent results. Methods This population-based study included mothers who delivered live-born infants without birth defects between 1997 and 2004 and completed interviews for the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (response rate 69%; n = 5871). Prevalence of self-reported illicit drug use (specifically cannabis, cocaine, and stimulants) during pregnancy and its associations with demographic and social factors were assessed. We used multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses to study the associations of cannabis use with birth weight and gestational age. Results The prevalence of reported illicit drug use during pregnancy was 3.6% (standard error 0.24). Pregnant users of cannabis, cocaine, and stimulants were younger, had a lower level of education and lower household income, and were less likely to have used folic acid in the periconceptional period than nonusers. Illicit drug users were also more likely to have used alcohol and tobacco. After adjustment for confounding, cannabis use was not associated with mean birth weight or gestational age or with low birth weight or preterm delivery. Conclusion Women who report use of illicit drugs during pregnancy differ in demographic and socioeconomic background from nonusers. Reported cannabis use does not seem to be associated with low birth weight or preterm birth.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK