Furosemide as a fetal growth promoter

Objective: To study the effect of furosemide treatment on fetal growth duri ng pregnancy. Design and Setting: The control dataset of the Hungarian Case-Control Surve illance of Congenital Anomalies between 1980 and 1996 was used. Information on furosemide drug exposure was obtained retrospectively from pregnant mot hers by means of a questionnaire, and prospectively on the basis of antenat al care log books. Study Participants: 38 151 pregnant women who had babies without any congen ital abnormalities. Main Outcome Measures: Medically recorded birthweights and gestational ages of 450 newborn infants burn to mothers receiving furosemide treatment duri ng pregnancy, and of 37 621 newborn infants born to mothers without furosem ide treatment. Results: During the study period, 1.2% of the included pregnant women were treated with furosemide, mainly in the third trimester of gestation. The me an birthweight was significantly higher (by 123g) and the proportion of low birthweight infants was significantly lower (by 1.7 times) with furosemide treatment during pregnancy (p = 0.01). The mean gestational age was not mo dified by furosemide treatment but the proportion with preterm births was h igher due to the underlying maternal disorders and complications of the pre gnancy. Conclusion: Furosemide is a fetal growth promoter. This is probably a resul t of indirect effects through the mother; however, clarification of the mec hanism requires further study.