Abstract
BackgroundBreast milk is a natural and unique nutrient for optimum growth and development of the newborn. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of unpredictable drug residues in mothers’ milk and the relationship between drug residues and maternal-infant characteristics.MethodsIn a descriptive study, breastfed infants under 3 months of age and their mothers who applied for child health monitoring were enrolled for the study. Information forms were completed for maternal-infant characteristics, breastfeeding problems, crying and sleep characteristics of infants. Maternal and infant anthropometric measurements and maternal milk sample were taken. Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale was applied to mothers. RANDOX Infiniplex kit for milk was used for residual analysis.ResultsOverall, 90 volunteer mothers and their breastfed infants were taken into the study and the mean age of the mothers and their infants was 31.5 ± 4.2 years and 57.8 ± 18.1 days, respectively. Anti-inflammatory drug residues in breast milk were detected in 30.0% of mothers and all had tolfenamic acid. Overall, 94.4% had quinolone, 93.3% beta-lactam, 31.1% aminoglycoside and 13.3% polymycin residues. Drugs used during pregnancy or lactation period were not affected by the presence of residues. Edinburgh postpartum depression scores of mothers and crying and sleeping problems of infants were similar in cases with and without drug residues in breast milk. When controlling confounding factors, maternal body mass index alterations were detected to be significantly lower in mothers with anti-inflammatory drug residues in breast milk than in their counterparts (p = 0.017).ConclusionsOur study suggests that there are unpredictable drug residues in the milk of many mothers. Anti-inflammatory drug exposure might affect maternal weight change during the postpartum period. Further studies are required to evaluate the impact of drug residues on maternal and infant health.
Highlights
Breast milk is a natural and unique nutrient for optimum growth and development of the newborn
Hypertension was found in 5.6% of mothers, high blood glucose level in 10.1% and urinary tract infection in 13.3% in pregnancy follow-up. 32.2% of the mothers had a disease that required medication. 26.7% of mothers said that they used antibiotics during pregnancy, 32.2% used nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID) and 4.4% steroids
There was a history of use of antibiotics in 42.2% and NSAID in 53.3% of mothers from delivery to the end of the first week
Summary
Breast milk is a natural and unique nutrient for optimum growth and development of the newborn. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of unpredictable drug residues in mothers’ milk and the relationship between drug residues and maternal-infant characteristics. Various pharmaceuticals are given to livestock, fish farms, and beekeeping in order to treat infections, ensure efficiency and growth of products [1]. Ergen and Yalçın BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth (2019) 19:348 small amount of drugs might pass into the breast milk of mothers who consumed contaminated foods [17]. There is only one study about detectable drug residues in the breastmilk of mothers without any history of usage of residual antibiotics in Eskişehir, Turkey [18]. The status of Ankara, the capital of Turkey, is not known
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