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Are infectious diseases stronger? 1:46
(CNN) - According to a new study, taking some common antibiotics during the first trimester of pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of birth defects.
The study, published Wednesday in the medical journal BMJ, found an increased risk of birth defects in the children of women who were prescribed macrolides during the first three months of pregnancy compared to mothers who were prescribed penicillin. .
Macrolide antibiotics include erythromycin, clarithromycin and azithromycin, and are used to treat infections such as pneumonia, bronchitis and urinary, skin and sexually transmitted diseases. They are often prescribed for patients allergic to penicillin. According to the study, macrolides are one of the most frequently prescribed antibiotics in Western countries.
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The study analyzed data from 104,605 children born in the United Kingdom between 1990 and 2016 and born to mothers who were prescribed penicillin or macrolides. The researchers looked for birth defects and neurodevelopmental disorders diagnosed later in life.
The study found that prescribing macrolides to pregnant women during the first trimester increased the risk of malformations greater than 28 of 1,000 births, compared with 18 per 1,000 births with penicillin. Specifically, the risk of cardiac malformations was higher.
The study did not find a link between macrolide prescription and neurodevelopmental disorders. There was also no associated risk between birth defects and prescribed macrolides before conception.
University College London professor Ruth Gilbert, one of the study's authors, said it is a small but significant increase and, according to these findings, pregnant women and their doctors should find an alternative depending on the type of infection.
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Gilbert also warned about the risks of not taking antibiotics at all.
"If you have a bacterial infection, it is really important to take antibiotics because the infection itself can be really harmful to the unborn baby," Gilbert said.
The study is based on a series of analyzes from a broad database of general practitioners' health in the United Kingdom. Gilbert said an even larger data set could provide information on less common birth defects and other results of taking certain antibiotics.
In 2005, Sweden issued a warning against the use of macrolide erythromycin during the first trimester of pregnancy after a report found a link between the drug and heart defects, according to the study.
Currently, regulatory authorities in the United States and the United Kingdom only warn against the use of azithromycin and clarithromycin in adults with a high risk of cardiovascular complications, according to the study authors.
An earlier study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that common antibiotics, including macrolides, are associated with an increased risk of miscarriage when used at the beginning of pregnancy.
Antibiotics