Stephansson O, Larsson H, Pedersen L et al. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2011;17:795–801.
Here, the risk of congenital abnormalities in the offspring of a population of >850 000 pregnant women with a first pregnancy in Denmark and Sweden was compared with the risk in a sub-cohort of pregnant patients who had a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis (n=2637). The study did not demonstrate an increased risk of congenital abnormalities, but there was an increased risk of other birth outcomes such as preterm delivery, cesarean section, and neonatal death.
The emotive subject of the risk of congenital abnormalities in the offspring of IBD patients has vexed clinicians for a long time. The risks – whether they relate to the IBD itself or to disease treatment – continue to cause clinicians, including obstetricians, anxiety. The situation has been compounded by small or selective studies, inconsistent results, and descriptions of probable chance associations.