Premium
Is metronidazole teratogenic? A meta‐analysis
Author(s) -
CaroPatón Tomás,
Carvajal Alfonso,
Martín de Diego Isaac,
MartínArias Luis H.,
Alvarez Requejo Ana,
Pinilla Elvira Rodríguez
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
british journal of clinical pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.216
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1365-2125
pISSN - 0306-5251
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2125.1997.00660.x
Subject(s) - metronidazole , medicine , odds ratio , pregnancy , meta analysis , obstetrics , cohort study , epidemiology , cohort , first trimester , gestation , biology , antibiotics , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology
Aim In order to assess whether the use of metronidazole during pregnancy is associated with a higher risk of congenital malformations, a meta‐analysis was conducted. Methods All epidemiological studies (cohort and case‐control) which estimate risk of congenital malformations after exposure to metronidazole during early pregnancy were included in the meta‐analysis. To obtain a summary odds ratio, the Mantel‐Haenszel method was used. A test to verify absence of heterogeneity was also performed. Results One unpublished case‐control and four published cohort studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were not statistically heterogeneous. A summary odds ratio was calculated for metronidazole exposure during the first trimester: OR=1.08, 95% CI: 0.90–1.29, heterogeneity test χ 2 =4.72, P =0.32. Conclusions This meta‐analysis did not find any relationship between metronidazole exposure during the first trimester of pregnancy and birth defects.