Perfil de utilização de medicamentos por gestantes atendidas em uma maternidade do município de Fortaleza – CE

Abstract

Pregnancy is a period of female life that occur in various physical and emotional changes, being the pregnant woman subject to health complications that often require the use of drugs, but there are only few experiments to determine the efficacy and safety of medicines to this population group. In view of the potential risks that drugs can cause to the developing fetus, studies of drug use during pregnancy are necessary in order to contribute to the rational use of these during pregnancy. The aim of this study was to understand the usage profile of drugs used by pregnant women who are cared in a public maternity in Fortaleza-CE. The study was characterized as an observational, prospective and transversal. During the study period, were interviewed 204 women who were in attendance in March-April 2012. They were divided in group for pregnant women at risk, normal or adolescents. The profile showed the predominance of women aged between 20 and 29 (38.7%) who had not planned the pregnancy (63%), which had elementary school (35.7%) and who started prenatal care during the first trimester of pregnancy (79.9%), with higher rates in the second month (39.2%) of gestation. Of those interviewed, 201 (98.5%) reported using at least one drug during pregnancy. Prescription drug use was mainly in those women who began prenatal care until the first quarter with 81.8% of citations of usage. Among the most widely used drugs, are ferrous sulfate (58.3%) and folic acid (54.4%), paracetamol (55.9%) and multivitamins (22.5%). Among those drugs used by pregnant women since the beginning of pregnancy until the interview date had no proven teratogenicity to the fetus, and the highest risk occurred for three drugs in category C classification from the FDA. On being questioned about the existence of health problems, 50.5% (n = 103) responded that they had a comorbidity, the most frequent was high blood pressure (HBP), 29.7% (n = 41), but only 53 patients (51.4%) were using drugs on an ongoing basis to their problems, and of these medications, seven were classified in category D and is therefore at the discretion of the physician's prescription and no drugs were FDA category X . The self-medication was reported by 29.3% (n = 59) of pregnant women. It was concluded that the reality revealed by the women in this study shows convergence with what has been observed in the literature and should seek to succeed in the rational use of medicines.