Study suggests antipsychotic drugs during pregnancy linked to increased risk of gestational diabetes

July 2, 2012 in Psychology & Psychiatry

A study that examined maternal use of antipsychotic drugs during pregnancy suggests that these medications may be linked to an increased risk of gestational diabetes, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

Severe , such as schizophrenia and , are usually treated with continuous , "however, the evidence concerning use of antipsychotics during pregnancy is generally lacking or weak," the authors write in the study background.

Robert Bodén. M.D., Ph.D., of the Centre for Pharmacoepidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, and Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, and colleagues used Swedish national health registers for a population-based study that also examined the effects of antipsychotic drugs during pregnancy on fetal growth.

Women who gave birth in Sweden from July 2005 through December 2009, were grouped by filled prescriptions for: (1) the antipsychotics olanzapine and/or clozapine (n=169); (2) other antipsychotics (n=338); or (3) no antipsychotics (n=357,696).

"Gestational diabetes was more than twice as common in mothers who used antipsychotics (seven mothers [4.1 percent] for group 1 and 15 [4.4 percent] for group 2) than in the total population of pregnant women (5,970 [1.7 percent])," according to the study results. The risk increase with olanzapine and/or clozapine was of similar magnitude but not statistical significance, the results indicate.

Women using antipsychotics also had an increased risk of giving birth to a small for gestational age (SGA) infant but, after adjusting for maternal factors, the risk was no longer statistically significant, according to the results.

"In conclusion, maternal use of antipsychotics during pregnancy, regardless of the drug group, is associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes. The increased risk of giving birth to an SGA infant observed among women treated with antipsychotics during pregnancy is probably an effect of confounding factors, such as smoking," the authors comment.

The results also indicate there were no increased risks of being large for gestational age (LGA) for birth weight or birth length after exposure to olanzapine and/or clozapine, but the risk increased for head circumference.

"Pregnant women treated with should be closely monitored for and deviating fetal growth," the researchers conclude.

More information: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2012;69[7]:715-721.

Journal reference: JAMA Psychiatry search and more info website

Provided by JAMA and Archives Journals search and more info website

not rated yet  

Rank not rated yet
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Motion quotient: IQ predicted by ability to filter motion (w/ video)

A brief visual task can predict IQ, according to a new study. This surprisingly simple exercise measures the brain's unconscious ability to filter out visual movement. The study shows that individuals whose ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created 4 hours ago | popularity 4.8 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Anxious men fare worse during job interviews, study finds

Nervous about that upcoming job interview? You might want to take steps to reduce your jitters, especially if you are a man.

Psychology & Psychiatry created 5 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Are kids who take music lessons different from other kids?

(Medical Xpress)—Research by U of T Mississauga psychology professor Glenn Schellenberg reveals that two key personality traits – openness-to-experience and conscientiousness—predict better than IQ ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created 7 hours ago | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Parents can help preteens with abduction concerns

Parents naturally are concerned for their children's safety, particularly when there is news of a child abduction that happens close to home. Finding the balance between emotions and the "teachable moment" as parents talk ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created 7 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Ireland needs real-time database for teen and young adult suicides

A new report on suicide in Ireland shows that suicide cases experienced a significant number (and intensity) of life events in the 6 months prior to their death.

Psychology & Psychiatry created 7 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Diabetes' genetic underpinnings can vary based on ethnic background, studies say

Ethnic background plays a surprisingly large role in how diabetes develops on a cellular level, according to two new studies led by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Scientists discover cinnamon compounds' potential ability to prevent Alzheimer's

Cinnamon: Can the red-brown spice with the unmistakable fragrance and variety of uses offer an important benefit? The common baking spice might hold the key to delaying the onset of –– or warding off ...

Ferrets, pigs susceptible to H7N9 avian influenza virus

Chinese and U.S. scientists have used virus isolated from a person who died from H7N9 avian influenza infection to determine whether the virus could infect and be transmitted between ferrets. Ferrets are often used as a mammalian ...

Study reveals new mechanism for estrogen suppression of liver lipid synthesis

By discovering the new mechanism by which estrogen suppresses lipid synthesis in the liver, UC Irvine endocrinologists have revealed a potential new approach toward treating certain liver diseases.

Death rates decline for advanced heart failure patients, but outcomes are still not ideal

UCLA researchers examining outcomes for advanced heart-failure patients over the past two decades have found that, coinciding with the increased availability and use of new therapies, overall mortality has decreased and sudden ...

MRI-based measurement helps predict vascular disease in the brain

Aortic arch pulse wave velocity, a measure of arterial stiffness, is a strong independent predictor of disease of the vessels that supply blood to the brain, according to a new study published in the June issue the journal ...