Abstract Pregnancy-related factors are important for short- and long-term health in mothers and offspring. The nationwide population-based Swedish Medical Birth Register (MBR) was established in 1973. The present study describes the content and quality of the MBR, using original MBR data, Swedish-language and international publications based on the MBR. The MBR includes around 98% of all births in Sweden. From 1982 onwards, the MBR is based on prospectively recorded information in standardized antenatal, obstetric, and neonatal records. When the mother and infant are discharged from hospital, this information is forwarded to the MBR, which is updated annually. Maternal data include information from first antenatal visit on self-reported obstetric history, infertility, diseases, medication use, cohabitation status, smoking and snuff use, self-reported height and measured weight, allowing calculation of body mass index. Birth and neonatal data include date and time of birth, mode of delivery, singleton or multiple birth, gestational age, stillbirth, birth weight, birth length, head circumference, infant sex, Apgar scores, and maternal and infant diagnoses/procedures, including neonatal care. The overall quality of the MBR is very high, owing to the semi-automated data extraction from the standardized regional electronic health records, Sweden’s universal access to antenatal care, and the possibility to compare mothers and offspring to the Total Population Register in order to identify missing records. Through the unique personal identity numbers of mothers and live-born offspring, the MBR can be linked to other health registers. The Swedish MBR contains high-quality pregnancy-related information on more than 5 million births during five decades.
To examine risks of adverse birth outcomes in women exposed to varenicline during pregnancy.Population-based cohort study including live-born and stillborn infants from 1 May 2007 to 31 December 2012. Data from health and administrative registries in Denmark and Sweden, two Nordic countries with universal health care and routine registration of major life and health events. Infants were allocated to three cohorts on the basis of their in utero exposure: the exposed cohort consisting of infants whose mothers were dispensed varenicline during pregnancy; the unexposed cohort comprised infants unexposed to varenicline, but exposed to maternal smoking in utero; and the reference cohort of infants unexposed to varenicline and maternal smoking in utero. The primary outcome was major congenital malformations diagnosed from birth to the first year of life. Secondary outcomes included stillbirth, fetal growth restriction (measured as small for gestational age), preterm delivery, preterm premature rupture of membranes, and sudden infant death syndrome. We estimated the prevalence of the primary outcome and secondary outcomes in the exposed, unexposed, and reference cohorts. Prevalence odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed using logistic regression with propensity score adjustment to control for potential confounders.The combined cohort included 885 185 infants. Of these, 335 infants were exposed, 78 412 were unexposed, and the remaining 806 438 comprised the reference cohort. Major congenital malformations were detected among 3.6% of exposed infants, 4.3% of unexposed infants, and 4.2% of infants in the reference cohort. The propensity score-adjusted prevalence odds ratio for major congenital malformations was 0.80 (95% CI, 0.45-1.42) for exposed vs unexposed infants. All analyses of primary and secondary outcomes comparing exposed with unexposed infants yielded odds ratio estimates below or close to unity. Use of varenicline during pregnancy does not appear to increase the risk of major congenital malformations or other adverse birth outcomes.
Background and Aims: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic, allergic inflammatory disease of the esophagus. It has a peak incidence in the 2nd and 3rd decades of life. Despite this, little is known about pregnancy outcomes in patients with EoE. Methods: Using a validated histopathologic and nationwide population-based cohort for the diagnosis of EoE, we examined maternal and fetal outcomes, with preterm birth as the primary outcome, in females with EoE compared to matched controls. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated using logistic regression. Results: Between 1992 and 2016 we identified 19 females with EoE who gave birth to 23 children (reference births: n=115). There was 1 (4.3%) preterm birth in the EoE cohort vs. 8 (7.0%) in the reference cohort (OR = 0.60; 95%CI = 0.07-5.14). Secondary fetal outcomes included stillbirth, neonatal death, small for gestational age, low birth weight (LBW) and low Apgar score. Of these, LBW (<2500g) in patients with EoE compared to controls correlated to an OR of 12.42 (95%CI = 1.26-122.42), however this finding was based on very low numbers. The remaining fetal outcomes were not significantly different between females with EoE and controls. Secondary pregnancy and maternal outcomes including induction of labor, instrumental delivery, gestational diabetes, or pre-eclampsia were not significantly different between patients with EoE and controls. Conclusion: Overall in this nationwide cohort study, we did not find increased association of preterm birth in patients with EoE.
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The rate of obstetric anal sphincter injury has increased in recent years, particularly among operative vaginal deliveries. We sought to characterize temporal trends in episiotomy use and to quantify the association between episiotomy and obstetric anal sphincter injury.Using a population-based retrospective cohort study design of hospital data from 2004 to 2017, we studied all vaginal deliveries of singleton infants at term gestation in Canada (excluding Quebec). Rates of obstetric anal sphincter injury were contrasted between women who had an episiotomy and those who did not. Log-binomial regression was used to estimate the association between episiotomy and obstetric anal sphincter injury among women with spontaneous and operative vaginal deliveries after controlling for confounders.The study population included 2 570 847 deliveries. Episiotomy use declined significantly among operative vaginal deliveries (53.1% in 2004 to 43.2% in 2017, p < 0.0001) and spontaneous vaginal deliveries (13.5% in 2004 to 6.5% in 2017, p < 0.0001). Episiotomy was associated with higher rates of obstetric anal sphincter injury among spontaneous vaginal deliveries (4.8 with episiotomy v. 2.4% without; adjusted rate ratio [RR] 2.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.00-2.11) and this association remained after stratification by parity and obstetric history. In contrast, episiotomy was associated with lower rates of obstetric anal sphincter injury among forceps deliveries in nulliparous women (adjusted RR 0.63, 95% CI 0.61-0.66), and women with vaginal birth after cesarean (adjusted RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.60-0.85), but not among parous women without a previous cesarean (adjusted RR 1.16, 95% CI 1.00-1.34).Episiotomy use has declined in Canada for all vaginal deliveries. The protective association between episiotomy and obstetric anal sphincter injury among women who gave birth by operative vaginal delivery (especially forceps) warrants reconsideration of clinical practice among nulliparous women and those attempting vaginal birth after cesarean.
Background Birth by cesarean section is associated with increased risks of immune disorders. We tested whether establishment of immune function at birth relates to mode of delivery, taking other maternal and infant characteristics into account. Methods and findings Using a prospectively collected database, we retrieved information on maternal and infant characteristics of 6,014 singleton infants delivered from February to April 2014 in Stockholm, Sweden, with gestational age ≥35 weeks, Apgar scores ≥7, and without congenital malformations or any neonatal morbidity. We linked our data to blood levels of T-cell receptor excision circles (TREC) and κ-deleting recombination excision circles (KREC), determined as part of a neonatal screening program for immune-deficiencies, and representing quantities of newly formed T- and B-lymphocytes. Multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for participants having TREC and KREC levels in the lowest quintile. Multivariate models were adjusted for postnatal age at blood sampling, and included perinatal (mode of delivery, infant sex, gestational age, and birth weight for gestational age), and maternal characteristics (age, parity, BMI, smoking, diabetes, and hypertensive disease). Low TREC was associated with cesarean section before labor (adjusted OR:1.32 [95% CI 1.08–1.62]), male infant sex (aOR:1.60 [1.41–1.83]), preterm birth at 35–36 weeks of gestation (aOR:1.89 [1.21–2.96]) and small for gestational age (aOR:1.67 [1.00–2.79]). Low KREC was associated with male sex (aOR:1.32 [1.15–1.50]), postterm birth at ≥42 weeks (aOR:1.43 [1.13–1.82]) and small for gestational age (aOR:2.89 [1.78–4.69]). Maternal characteristics showed no consistent associations with neonatal levels of either TREC or KREC. Conclusion Cesarean section before labor was associated with lower T-lymphocyte formation, irrespective of maternal characteristics, pregnancy, and neonatal risk factors. The significance of a reduced birth-related surge in lymphocyte formation for future immune function and health remains to be investigated.
To study pregnancy outcome in women with alcoholic liver disease (ALD).Using the Swedish nation-wide Patient and Medical Birth Registers, we investigated risk of adverse pregnancy outcome in 720 women diagnosed with ALD before and 1720 diagnosed after birth and compared them with 24 460 population-based control births.Women with ALD diagnosed before or after birth were generally of higher age and body mass index, more likely to smoke cigarettes during pregnancy and to have a low socio-economic status compared with controls. Women diagnosed with ALD before birth had an increased risk of moderately and very preterm birth, adjusted odd ratio (OR) = 1.53 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.37-1.72 and 1.15-2.06 95%), respectively. Infants of mothers with ALD before birth were more often small-for-gestational age, adjusted OR = 1.22 (95% CI: 1.05-1.43), and were at increased risk for low Apgar scores (<7) at 5 min, adjusted OR = 1.49 (95% CI: 1.15-1.92) compared with controls. Similar associations with slightly lower-risk estimates were found among women diagnosed with ALD after birth.ALD is associated with adverse-birth outcomes, highlighting the importance of screening women for alcohol dependence in antenatal care.