Several studies have indicated the harmful effect of flare-up periods in pregnant women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on their newborns. Therefore, an effective and safe medical treatment during pregnancy is of great concern in IBD patients. The aim of this study was to perform a meta-analysis on the outcomes of thiopurines use and a systematic review of antitumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs used during pregnancy in women with IBD. The results of cohorts evaluating the safety of anti-TNF drugs during pregnancy up to July 2013 were collected and analyzed. In the meta-analysis, a total of 312 pregnant women with IBD who used thiopurines were compared with 1149 controls (women with IBD who were not treated with any medication and women who were exposed to drugs other than thiopurines) to evaluate the drug effect on different pregnancy outcomes, including prematurity, low birth weight, congenital abnormalities, spontaneous abortion, and neonatal adverse outcomes. Results of statistical analysis demonstrated that congenital abnormalities were increased significantly in thiopurine-exposed group in comparison with control group who did not receive any medicine for IBD treatment. The summary odds ratio was 2.95 with 95% confidence interval = 1.03-8.43 (p = 0.04). We observed no significant differences in occurrence of other adverse pregnancy outcomes between compared groups. The results of cohorts evaluated the safety of anti-TNF drugs during pregnancy demonstrated no increase in occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes in comparison with controls except for the significant decrease in gestational age of newborns of drug-exposed mothers in one trial. In conclusion, a benefit-risk ratio should be considered in prescribing or continuing medicinal therapy during pregnancy of IBD patients.
Keywords: Anti-TNF drugs; Crohn’s disease; azathioprine; infliximab; mercaptopurine; meta-analysis; pregnancy outcome; systematic review; ulcerative colitis.
© The Author(s) 2014.