Myocardial infarction and angina pectoris in young women.

The Oxford-Family Planning Association contraceptive study has now followed 17,000 women, predominantly of childbearing age, for a total of more than 200,000 woman-years. The incidence of myocardial infarction and angina in women aged less than 50 years has been low: 0.03/1,000 woman-years at ages 25-34 rising to 0.67/1,000 woman-years at ages 45-49. However, the overall incidence in women who were smokers at entry to the study is more than three times that in women who were non-smokers, the increase in individual risk being proportional to the number of cigarettes smoked. Observations on other risk factors must be treated with caution in view of the small numbers involved: in general, the differences and trends reported are not statistically significant. However, a consistent positive relation is observed between incidence rates and both relative weight and parity after adjustment for age and smoking, while no consistent trend is observed for social class. Ever use of oral contraceptives is associated with a twofold increased risk of myocardial infarction (not statistically significant), but there is no increased risk in current users as was suggested by earlier studies. This may reflect the adoption of lower dose preparations and the positive selection of healthy women for oral contraception

Myocardial infarction and angina pectoris in young women.

The Oxford-Family Planning Association contraceptive study has now followed 17,000 women, predominantly of childbearing age, for a total of more than 200,000 woman-years. The incidence of myocardial infarction and angina in women aged less than 50 years has been low: 0.03/1,000 woman-years at ages 25-34 rising to 0.67/1,000 woman-years at ages 45-49. However, the overall incidence in women who were smokers at entry to the study is more than three times that in women who were non-smokers, the increase in individual risk being proportional to the number of cigarettes smoked. Observations on other risk factors must be treated with caution in view of the small numbers involved: in general, the differences and trends reported are not statistically significant. However, a consistent positive relation is observed between incidence rates and both relative weight and parity after adjustment for age and smoking, while no consistent trend is observed for social class. Ever use of oral contraceptives is associated with a twofold increased risk of myocardial infarction (not statistically significant), but there is no increased risk in current users as was suggested by earlier studies. This may reflect the adoption of lower dose preparations and the positive selection of healthy women for oral contraception

Delivery of healthy babies after natalizumab use for multiple sclerosis: a report of two cases

Item does not contain fulltextBACKGROUND: In current literature, no data on safety in pregnancy for new drugs in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) like natalizumab (Tysabri(R)), a humanized monoclonal antibody against alpha4 integrins, are yet available. In the management of MS, natalizumab is the first monoclonal antibody approved to the market. METHODS: We describe the pregnancy and outcome in two women with MS using natalizumab. The first patient used it in the periconceptional period, and the second patient used it in both the periconceptional period and throughout gestation. RESULTS: The antenatal course of the first patient was complicated by an exacerbation of MS. The second patient did not experience MS relapses during pregnancy, while still using natalizumab. The newborns did not show any abnormalities postnatal and at 6 weeks' follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first detailed report on pregnancy and delivery of two babies after maternal treatment of MS with natalizumab. From the small number of cases on the usage of natalizumab during pregnancy in literature, we cannot conclude whether the use of natalizumab is safe, and long-term effects are not known. Further research is needed to establish the exact effects on pregnancy and intrauterine development as well as the long-term effects. Prenatal counseling with thorough explanation of the risks and careful decision making is advisable