Medication Use Among Pregnant Women With SARS‐CoV‐2 Infection and Risk of Hospitalization—A Study in Two Brazilian Hospitals

Abstract

There is limited evidence about the use of medications among pregnant women with COVID‐19, as well as risk factors for hospitalization due to COVID‐19 in pregnancy. We aimed to describe the use of medications among SARS‐CoV‐2‐positive pregnant women at the time around infection and identify predictors for hospitalization due to COVID‐19 in two hospitals in Brazil. This is a hospital record‐based study among pregnant women with positive SARS‐CoV‐2 tests between March 2020 and August 2022 from two Brazilian hospitals. Characteristics of sociodemographic, obstetrical, and COVID‐19 symptoms were extracted retrospectively. The prevalence use of medications was based on self‐reported use, and this was administered at the hospital. Logistic regression was used to estimate predictors of hospitalization due to COVID‐19. There were 278 pregnant women included in the study, of which 41 (14.7%) required hospitalization due to COVID‐19. The remaining 237 (85.3%) had mild symptoms or were asymptomatic. Most of the women had the infection in the third trimester (n = 149; 53.6%). The most prevalent medications used across all trimesters were analgesics (2.4% to 20.0%), antibacterials (15.0% to 23.1%), and corticosteroids (7.2% to 10.4%). Pre‐ or gestational hypertensive disorder (odds ratio (OR) 4.94, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.65, 14.87) and having at least one dose of vaccine against SARS‐CoV‐2 (OR 0.13, 95% CI 0.04, 0.39) were associated with hospitalization due to COVID‐19. Analgesics, antibacterials, and corticosteroids were the most frequently used medications among pregnant women with COVID‐19. Women with hypertensive disorders have almost a five‐fold increased risk of hospitalization due to COVID‐19. Vaccination was the strongest protective factor for severe COVID‐19. The COVID‐19 vaccination among pregnant women should be promoted, and pregnant women diagnosed with COVID‐19 who have hypertensive disorders should be closely monitored.