Asthma during pregnancy and congenital malformations: The challenging task of separating the medication effect from asthma itself

We have read with interest the article by Garne et al1 which adds new information on the impact of asthma treatments during pregnancy on the prevalence of congenital malformations. The study concluded that the use of inhaled β2-agonists (short- and long-acting combined) is associated with an increased risk of cleft palate and gastroschisis, whereas the use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) showed no increased risk for any of the examined malformations. We fear however that such a statement could negatively affect the confidence of clinicians and mothers in short-acting β2-agonists (SABAs), specifically salbutamol, which was the most frequently used β2-agonist in this study.
Source: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research