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null Arthritis Drugs Potentially Safe for Expectant Mothers

Pregnant mothers may use rheumatoid arthritis drugs without increased health risks to unborn baby

May 17, 2018

A new study led by a team at the Research Institute of the MUHC (RI-MUHC) in Montreal has revealed that pregnant women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may be able to use certain RA drugs without possible increased health risks to their unborn babies. The research findings are published today in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a debilitating disease with physical, emotional, and economic consequences that afflicts about one per cent of the world's adult population. This autoimmune disease, which causes chronic inflammation of the joints and other areas of the body, affects two to three times more women than men and there is no existing cure.

Dr. Évelyne Vinet and her team from the Centre for Outcomes of Evaluative Research (CORE) of the RI-MUHC analyzed offspring exposed to tumour necrosis factors inhibitors (TNFs) – an immunosuppressant RA drug commonly used to reduce inflammation and relieve pain.

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