Maternal Periconceptional Illicit Drug Use and the Risk of Congenital Malformations

Marleen M. H. J VAN GELDER; Jennita Reefhuis; Alissa R Caton; Martha M Werler; Charlotte M Druschel; Nel Roeleveld; National Birth Defects Prevention Study

doi:10.1097/EDE.0b013e31818e5930

Back

Maternal Periconceptional Illicit Drug Use and the Risk of Congenital Malformations

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Maternal Periconceptional Illicit Drug Use and the Risk of Congenital Malformations

Marleen M. H. J VAN GELDER, Jennita Reefhuis, Alissa R Caton, Martha M Werler, Charlotte M Druschel, Nel Roeleveld and National Birth Defects Prevention Study

Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.), Vol.20(1), pp.60-66

2009

DOI: 10.1097/EDE.0b013e31818e5930

PMID: 19057385

Files and links (1)

url

https://doi.org/10.1097/EDE.0b013e31818e5930View

Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Background: In 2004, the Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that 5% of American women reported use of an illicit drug during pregnancy. The results of studies determining the association between periconceptional illicit drug use and birth defects have been inconsistent. Methods: We analyzed data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, a case-control study of major birth defects, and assessed all birth defects categories in which there were at least 250 interviewed case mothers. We included 10,241 infants with major congenital malformations (case infants) and 4,967 infants without major congenital malformations (control infants) born between 1997 and 2003 for whom there was a completed maternal interview with detailed information on prenatal illicit drug use and potential confounders. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate the associations between cannabis, cocaine, and stimulant use in the month before pregnancy or during the first trimester (periconceptional period) and the occurrence of selected birth defects. Results: In the periconceptional period, 5% of the 15,208 mothers reported any use of illicit drugs. We did not find associations between illicit drug use and most of the 20 eligible categories of congenital malformations. Periconceptional cannabis use seemed to be associated with an increased risk of anencephaly (adjusted odds ratio = 1.7; 95% confidence interval = 0.9–3.4), whereas cocaine use in the periconceptional period was associated with the risk of cleft palate (2.5; 1.1–5.4). Conclusions: There were very few suggestions of positive associations between periconceptional illicit drug use and the 20 birth defects categories.

Epidemiology

Addictive behaviors

Adult and adolescent clinical studies

Biological and medical sciences

Drug addiction

General aspects

Medical sciences

Miscellaneous

Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry

Psychopathology. Psychiatry

Public health. Hygiene

Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine

Details

Title: Subtitle: Maternal Periconceptional Illicit Drug Use and the Risk of Congenital Malformations
Creators: Marleen M. H. J VAN GELDER - National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
Jennita Reefhuis - National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
Alissa R Caton - Congenital Malformations Registry, Center for Environmental Health, New York State Department of Health, Troy, NY, United States
Martha M Werler - Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
Charlotte M Druschel - Congenital Malformations Registry, Center for Environmental Health, New York State Department of Health, Troy, NY, United States
Nel Roeleveld - Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and HTA, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands
National Birth Defects Prevention Study
Contributors: Paul A Romitti (Contributor) - University of Iowa, Epidemiology
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.), Vol.20(1), pp.60-66
DOI: 10.1097/EDE.0b013e31818e5930
PMID: 19057385
NLM abbreviation: Epidemiology
ISSN: 1044-3983
eISSN: 1531-5487
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Language: English
Date published: 2009
Academic Unit: Epidemiology; Biostatistics
Record Identifier: 9984214825202771

Metrics

8 Record Views

81 Times Cited - Web of Science