Medication use during pregnancy and the risk of gastroschisis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

Objectives The aetiology of gastroschisis is considered multifactorial. We conducted a systematic review and metaanalysis to assess whether the use of medications during pregnancy, is associated with the risk of gastroschisis in ofspring. Methods PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus were searched from 1st January 1990 to 31st December 2020 to identify observational studies examining the association between medication use during pregnancy and the risk of gastroschisis. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was used for the quality assessment of the individual studies. We pooled adjusted measures using a random-efect model to estimate relative risk [RR] and the 95% confdence interval [CI]. I 2 statistic for heterogeneity and publication bias was calculated. Results Eighteen studies providing data on 751,954 pregnancies were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled RRs showed signifcant associations between aspirin (RR 1.66, 95% CI 1.16–2.38; I 2=58.3%), oral contraceptives (RR 1.52, 95% CI 1.21–1.92; I 2=22.0%), pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine (RR 1.51, 95% CI 1.16–1.97; I 2=33.2%), ibuprofen (RR 1.42, 95% CI 1.26–1.60; I 2=0.0%), and gastroschisis. No association was observed between paracetamol and gastroschisis (RR 1.16, 95% CI 0.96–1.41; I 2=39.4%). Conclusions These results suggest that the exposure in the frst trimester of pregnancy to over the counter medications (OTC) such as aspirin, ibuprofen, pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine as well as to oral contraceptives, was associated with an increased risk of gastroschisis. However, these associations are signifcant only in particular subgroups defned by geographic location, adjustment variables and type of control. Therefore, further research is needed to investigate them as potential risk factors for gastroschisis, to assess their safety in pregnancy and to develop treatment strategies to reduce the risk of gastroschisis in ofspring. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021287529.