Association between maternal ritodrine hydrochloride administration during pregnancy and childhood wheezing up to three years of age: The Japan environment and children's study

Abstract

Background:The effects of maternal ritodrine hydrochloride administration (MRA) during pregnancy on fetuses and offspring are not entirely clear. The present study aimed to evaluate the association between MRA and childhood wheezing using data from a nationwide Japanese birth cohort study.Methods: This study analyzed the data of the participants enrolled in the Japan Environment and Children's Study, a nationwide prospective birth cohort study, between 2011 and 2014. Data of women with singleton live births after 22 weeks of gestation were analyzed. The participants were divided according to MRA status.Considering childhood factors affecting the incidence of wheezing, including smoking environment and childhood viral infections, a logistic regression model was used to calculate odds ratios for "wheezing ever," diagnosis of asthma in the last 12 months, and "asthma ever" in women with MRA, with women who did not receive MRA as the reference. Additionally, participants were stratified by term births, and odds ratios for outcomes were calculated using a logistic regression model.

Meconium-stained amniotic fluid during labor may be a protective factor for the offspring’s childhood wheezing up to 3 years of age: the Japan Environment and Children’s Study

“…Parity was categorized as nulliparous or multiparous. Participants provided information about their smoking status by selecting one of the following: "Currently smoking," "Never," "Previously did but quit before realizing current pregnancy," and "Previously did but quit after realizing current pregnancy;" the smoking category included those who chose "Currently smoking," whereas the non-smoking category consisted of the remainder [23]. Maternal educational status was categorized into the following four groups according to the number of education years: (1) junior high school, < 10 years;…”

“…(2) high school, 10-12 years; (3) technical/vocational college or university, 13-16 years; and (4) graduate school, ≥ 17 years [23]. Annual household income was categorized into the following four groups: (1) < 2,000,000 JPY; (2) 2,000,000-5,999,999 JPY; (3) 6,000,000-9,999,999 JPY; and (4) ≥ 10,000,000 JPY [23]. Mode of delivery was divided into vaginal delivery and cesarean section [24].…”

“…The following items were analyzed as potential confounding factors or predictive factors during the offspring's childhood, as defined according to the questionnaire acquired at 1, 2, or 3 years after childbirth: smoking environment, breastfeeding, male newborns, childhood eczema, childhood rhinitis, pet ownership, and childhood respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection or lower respiratory infection (defined as childhood viral infection) [23]. Data on breastfeeding were collected through the questionnaire administered at 1 year after childbirth; data on childhood RSV infection and lower respiratory infection were collected through the questionnaire administered at 2 years after childbirth; other data were collected using the questionnaire administered at 3 years after childbirth [23].…”

Report from “International Workshop for Junior Fellows 2: Tocolytic treatment for prevention of preterm birth” at the 73rd Annual Congress of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology

“…In addition, the evaluation of the effects of tocolytic agents on fetal and neonatal conditions may elucidate the utility of tocolysis. 14,15…”

Effects of maternal ritodrine hydrochloride administration on the heart rate of preterm fetal sheep with intraamniotic inflammation

“…Although previous studies have shown that MRA causes fetal tachycardia [ 23 – 25 ], its clinical significance is still unclear. Similarly, although recent studies have reported that MRA is associated with increased incidence of childhood asthma and wheezing in offspring [ 26 , 27 ], it is unclear whether short-term MRA exhibits the same relationship. Furthermore, the effects of MRA on fetuses exposed to intraamniotic inflammation have not been reported.…”