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Pattern of drug use during the first trimester among Chinese women: data from a population-based cohort study

  • Pharmacoepidemiology and Prescription
  • Published:
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Abstract

Aim

To describe the pattern of drug use among Chinese women during the first trimester and to examine the impact of maternal diseases on the choice of drugs.

Method

This drug utilisation study of pregnant women was performed using data from the ABCD cohort study. A total of 4,290 women were enrolled in the analysis. Information was collected by self-completion questionnaire combined with the “Maternal health handbook”.

Results

Of the 4,290 women interviewed, 75.9% of women took at least one drug during the first trimester. Users took a mean number of 1.43 drugs. The most frequently used drugs were folic acid (65.2%), vitamins (14.6%), calcium (12.0%), minerals (11.1%), Chinese traditional patent medicine (CTPM; 10.1%) and anti-infectives (6.5%). Among the women having used CTPM, influenza/cold and threatened abortion were the most commonly reported indications. Logistic regression analysis of drug use (excluding nutritional and haematological drugs) shows that CTPM and Western medicine are both associated with the use of drugs for occasional diseases and against threatened abortion. Maternal chronic diseases were not associated with the use of CTPM.

Conclusion

This analysis of pregnant women showed that drugs were prescribed to most women, even when nutritional and haematological drugs were excluded. Our data reflect, except for drugs used for chronic diseases, a general reluctance among Chinese women to use Western medicine and resorting to CTPM during pregnancy

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported financially by the China National Key Technology Research and Development Program 2006BAI05A03. We are extremely grateful to all the women who took part and to all the health doctors for their co-operation and help in recruitment. All authors contributed to the writing of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Anhui, China

    Xiaoming Zhu, Jiahu Hao, Yuanyuan Xu & Fangbiao Tao

  2. Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China

    Xiaoming Zhu, Xiuyu Qi, Jiahu Hao, Xiuya Xing, Daijuan Cheng, Limin Xiao, Peng Zhu & Fangbiao Tao

  3. Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China

    Zhaohui Huang & Zhihua Zhang

Authors
  1. Xiaoming Zhu
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  2. Xiuyu Qi
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  3. Jiahu Hao
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  4. Zhaohui Huang
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  5. Zhihua Zhang
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  10. Peng Zhu
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  11. Fangbiao Tao
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jiahu Hao.

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Zhu, X., Qi, X., Hao, J. et al. Pattern of drug use during the first trimester among Chinese women: data from a population-based cohort study. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 66, 511–518 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-009-0781-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-009-0781-x

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