SSRIs linked with birth defects

摘要

Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors have been linked with congenital malformations,such as cardiac defects,in a study presented at the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology conference in Nashville,Tennessee,US,last month.The study of 1,054 women found that,in the first trimester of pregnancy,SSRIs were associated with a 40 per cent increase in the risk of congenital malformation and a 60 per cent increase in cardiac defects for their babies.SSRIs were also associated with a 40 per cent increase in the risk of preterm birth and a 10 per cent increase in the risk of low birth weight.However,the researchers say that is unclear whether the effects they found were causal or due to other factors related to the underlying disease.