Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jan-Feb;98(1):53-59.
doi: 10.1016/j.jped.2021.03.006. Epub 2021 May 15.

ERICA: cardiovascular risks associated with oral contraceptive use among Brazilian adolescents

Bruna de Siqueira Barros  1 , Maria Cristina Caetano Kuschnir  2 , Fábio Chigres Kuschnir  3 , Érica Azevedo de Oliveira Costa Jordão  4
Affiliations

ERICA: cardiovascular risks associated with oral contraceptive use among Brazilian adolescents

Bruna de Siqueira Barros et al. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2022 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the association between oral contraceptive use and cardiovascular risks, including metabolic syndrome and their components in Brazilian adolescents.

Method: This study used data from the Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (Estudo de Riscos Cardiovasculares em Adolescentes - ERICA), a nationwide, cross-sectional, school-based study with individuals aged 12-17 years. Sociodemographic variables and OC use were assessed by a self-administered questionnaire. International Diabetes Federation criteria were used to define metabolic syndrome. Descriptive statistics were reported as prevalence and their respective confidence interval of 95% of oral contraceptives according to variables. Logistic regression was performed. Crude and adjusted odds ratios were calculated.

Results: This subsample was composed of 22,682 female adolescents, of which 12.65% reported using oral contraceptives and their use was associated with hypertension and hypertriglyceridemia. These associations remained statistically significant after adjusting for age, school region, race, and tobacco use with an increase of 2.68 (1.66 - 4.32) and 3.45 (2.56 - 4.65) times, respectively.

Conclusion: The present study was the first to examine the association between the use of oral contraceptives and cardiovascular risk factors among the largest number of female Brazilian adolescents. This method was significantly associated with hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia. Teenagers using oral contraceptives should be monitored for side effects, including blood pressure measurements and advised to avoid smoking.

Keywords: Adolescent; Cardiovascular risk; Contraceptive; Hypertension; Hypertriglyceridemia; Metabolic syndrome; Oral.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Figure 1
Flowchart with sample selection. ERICA, Brazil, 2013-2014.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Shufelt CL, Merz CN. Contraceptive hormone use and cardiovascular disease. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009;53:221–231. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Glisic M, Shahzad S, Tsoli S, Chadni M, Asllanaj E, Rojas LZ, et al. Association between progestin-only contraceptive use and cardiometabolic outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2018;25:1042–1052. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Roach R, Helmerhorst F, Lijfering W, Stijnen T, Algra A, Dekkers O. Combined oral contraceptives: the risk of myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;2015 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dragoman M V, Tepper NK, Fu R, Curtis KM, Chou R, Gaffield ME. A systematic review and meta-analysis of venous thrombosis risk among users of combined oral contraception. Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2018;141:287–294. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Liu H, Yao J, Wang W, Zhang D. Association between duration of oral contraceptive use and risk of hypertension: A meta-analysis. J Clin Hypertens. 2017;19:1032–1041. - PMC - PubMed

Substances