Medication Use Among Pregnant Women With SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Risk of Hospitalization-A Study in Two Brazilian Hospitals

J Pregnancy. 2024 Jun 6:2024:8915166. doi: 10.1155/2024/8915166. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

There is limited evidence about the use of medications among pregnant women with COVID-19, as well as risk factors for hospitalization due to COVID-19 in pregnancy. We aimed to describe the use of medications among SARS-CoV-2-positive pregnant women at the time around infection and identify predictors for hospitalization due to COVID-19 in two hospitals in Brazil. This is a hospital record-based study among pregnant women with positive SARS-CoV-2 tests between March 2020 and August 2022 from two Brazilian hospitals. Characteristics of sociodemographic, obstetrical, and COVID-19 symptoms were extracted retrospectively. The prevalence use of medications was based on self-reported use, and this was administered at the hospital. Logistic regression was used to estimate predictors of hospitalization due to COVID-19. There were 278 pregnant women included in the study, of which 41 (14.7%) required hospitalization due to COVID-19. The remaining 237 (85.3%) had mild symptoms or were asymptomatic. Most of the women had the infection in the third trimester (n = 149; 53.6%). The most prevalent medications used across all trimesters were analgesics (2.4% to 20.0%), antibacterials (15.0% to 23.1%), and corticosteroids (7.2% to 10.4%). Pre- or gestational hypertensive disorder (odds ratio (OR) 4.94, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.65, 14.87) and having at least one dose of vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 (OR 0.13, 95% CI 0.04, 0.39) were associated with hospitalization due to COVID-19. Analgesics, antibacterials, and corticosteroids were the most frequently used medications among pregnant women with COVID-19. Women with hypertensive disorders have almost a five-fold increased risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19. Vaccination was the strongest protective factor for severe COVID-19. The COVID-19 vaccination among pregnant women should be promoted, and pregnant women diagnosed with COVID-19 who have hypertensive disorders should be closely monitored.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Brazil / epidemiology
  • COVID-19 Drug Treatment
  • COVID-19* / epidemiology
  • Female
  • Hospitalization* / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications, Infectious* / drug therapy
  • Pregnancy Complications, Infectious* / epidemiology
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Risk Factors
  • SARS-CoV-2*
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents