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SSRI antidepressants do not pose major birth defect risk
June 28, 2007Certain antidepressants may have modest effects
Boston, MA -- Researchers from Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center have found that certain selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors antidepressants do not appear to increase the risk for most kinds of birth defects. The findings, to be published in the June 28, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, suggest that individual SSRIs may increase the risk for some specific defects, but these are rare and the absolute risks are small.
The risk of birth defects following antenatal exposure to SSRIs remains controversial. Early studies demonstrated that SSRIs didn't increase risks of birth defects when such defects were studied as a group. However, birth defects are not a single entity and individual defects have distinct causes. And, more recent studies have reported elevated risks for some birth defects.
Using data from the Slone Epidemiology Center's Birth Defects Study, an ongoing program of case-control surveillance of medication use in relation to birth defects, the researchers considered relationships between first trimester SSRI use and the risk of various birth defects among mothers of 9,849 infants with birth defects and 5,860 infants without defects.
The researchers analyzed defects previously linked to SSRI use and found overall SSRI use was not associated with significantly increased risks of craniosynostosis (where connections between skull bones close prematurely), omphalocele (intestines or other abdominal organs protrude from the naval) or heart defects overall.
Analysis of individual SSRIs and specific defects showed significant associations between setraline (e.g. Zoloft) and omphalocele and septal defects (defects in the walls that separate the chambers of the heart) and between the paroxetine (e.g. Paxil) and certain heart defects that interfere with blood flow to the lungs. This last association was also reported in another paper, from the CDC's National Birth Defects Prevention Study, in this week's NEJM. However, the BU researchers stress that even if a specific SSRI increased rates four-fold, as was observed for some of these associations, the risk of having an affected child would be less than one percent.
"Our analyses did not confirm previously reported associations between overall use of SSRIs and a number of birth defects," said lead author Carol Louik, ScD, an assistant professor at the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University. "Rather our study suggests that risks are limited to specific SSRIs in relation to specific birth defects. Still, it is important to keep in perspective that the baseline risks for these rare defects are small, so even if the modest increased risks we observed are correct, the chances of having a child with such a defect are quite small," she added.
Boston University
Using data from the Slone Epidemiology Center's Birth Defects Study, an ongoing program of case-control surveillance of medication use in relation to birth defects, the researchers considered relationships between first trimester SSRI use and the risk of various birth defects among mothers of 9,849 infants with birth defects and 5,860 infants without defects.
The researchers analyzed defects previously linked to SSRI use and found overall SSRI use was not associated with significantly increased risks of craniosynostosis (where connections between skull bones close prematurely), omphalocele (intestines or other abdominal organs protrude from the naval) or heart defects overall.
Analysis of individual SSRIs and specific defects showed significant associations between setraline (e.g. Zoloft) and omphalocele and septal defects (defects in the walls that separate the chambers of the heart) and between the paroxetine (e.g. Paxil) and certain heart defects that interfere with blood flow to the lungs. This last association was also reported in another paper, from the CDC's National Birth Defects Prevention Study, in this week's NEJM. However, the BU researchers stress that even if a specific SSRI increased rates four-fold, as was observed for some of these associations, the risk of having an affected child would be less than one percent.
"Our analyses did not confirm previously reported associations between overall use of SSRIs and a number of birth defects," said lead author Carol Louik, ScD, an assistant professor at the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University. "Rather our study suggests that risks are limited to specific SSRIs in relation to specific birth defects. Still, it is important to keep in perspective that the baseline risks for these rare defects are small, so even if the modest increased risks we observed are correct, the chances of having a child with such a defect are quite small," she added.
Boston University
Birth Defect Current Events and Birth Defect News RSSLocal health investigation sheds light on gastroschisis birth defect
Results of an investigation conducted by University of Nevada, Reno researchers, public health officials and area physicians published this week in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, indicate that Washoe County experienced a cluster of a particular birth defect, gastroschisis, during the period April 2007 - April 2008.
Secrets of the 4 chambers revealed by reptile hearts
The first genetic link in the evolution of the heart from three-chambered to four-chambered has been found, illuminating part of the puzzle of how birds and mammals became warm-blooded.
Unlikely genetic suspect implicated in common brain defect
A genetic search that wound its way from patients to mouse models and back to patients has uncovered an unlikely gene critically involved in a common birth defect which causes mental retardation, motor delays and sometimes autism, providing a new mechanism and potentially improving treatment for the disorder.
Scientists identify gene vital to early embryonic cells forming a normal heart and skull
New research from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center highlights the critical role a certain gene and its protein play during early embryonic development on formation of a normal heart and skull.
Embryology Study Offers Clues to Birth Defects
Gregg Duester, Ph.D., professor of developmental biology at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham), along with Xianling Zhao, Ph.D., and colleagues, have clarified the role that retinoic acid plays in limb development.
Hypospadias, a birth defect of the male urethra, is not increasing in New York state
In recent decades, there have been periodic reports of a worldwide decline in sperm count and quality.
Treatment for extreme nausea, vomiting during pregnancy
Nausea and vomiting are telltale indicators of pregnancy, affecting more than 80 percent of future mothers. For a few moms-to-be, symptoms can become so severe that hospitalization is required.
Time of conception linked to birth defects in United States
A study published in the April 2009 issue of the medical journal Acta Pćdiatrica is the first to report that birth defect rates in the United States were highest for women conceiving in the spring and summer. The researchers also found that this period of increase risk correlated with increased levels of pesticides in surface water across the United States.
'Suspending asthma treatment a bad option for expectant mothers': Study
Pregnant women suffering from asthma run a greater risk of giving birth prematurely if they suspend their asthma treatments. According to a Université de Montréal study, published in Respiratory Medicine, the probability of suffering from hypertension during pregnancy also increases for women who interrupt their asthma treatment.
New study finds increased prevalence of left-handedness in children with facial development disorder
A new study by physician researchers from Hasbro Children's Hospital and Children's Hospital Boston has identified an increased prevalence in left-handedness in children with a congenital disorder known as hemifacial microsomia (HFM).
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Carol Bond's Folic Acid 800 Mcg (Part of the Vitamin B Family, Considered a Brain Food, and Needed for Energy Production Also Taken Before, During and After Pregnancy Can Help Prevent Birth Defects) 250 Tablets by Carol Bond Health Foods Considered a brain food, folic acid is needed for energy production and the formation of red blood cells. It also strengthens immunity by aiding in the proper formation and functioning of white blood cells. Applications include: Alcoholism, anemia, arteriosclerosis, baldness, diarrhea, depression, mental illness, mental retardation, immune system, birth-defect prevention, fatigue, ulcers, stress, blood disorders. Scientific Data: Various studies support the use of folic acid nutritional supplements during and after pregnancy to prevent birth defects and post-partum depression. Note: A tongue that is red and sore may indicate a folic acid deficiency Applications: Alcoholism, anemia, arteriosclerosis, baldness, diarrhea, depression, mental illness, mental retardation, immune system,... |
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