"Based on our findings, we estimate that six to twelve mothers per thousand who use an SSRI after 20 weeks' gestation, are likely to deliver a child with PPHN," said Chambers. "Put in practical terms, the risk is relatively low -- about 99 percent of women exposed to one of these medications during the latter half of pregnancy will deliver an infant unaffected by PPHN."
"Our findings suggest that prenatal exposure to SSRIs might contribute to the pathological origin of this disorder," says Chambers. She adds that although the study cannot establish cause, several possible mechanisms suggesting an association between the use of the SSRIs and PPHN are plausible.
Although the researchers noted an increased risk of PPHN in infants whose mothers took SSRIs late in pregnancy, the research team points out that mothers may need to continue SSRI treatment during pregnancy in order to care for themselves appropriately. The findings of this study might be factored into decisions about continuing treatment with SSRIs into late pregnancy.
The research team consisted of Chambers, Sonia Hernandez-Diaz, M.D. Dr.P.H of Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University School of Public Health, Linda J. Van Marter, M.D., Ph.D of Boston Children's Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Martha M. Werler, Sc.D, and Allen A. Mitchell, M.D. of Slone Epidemiology Center, and Kenneth Lyons Jones, M.D. of the UCSD Department of Pediatrics.
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Contact: Jeffree Itrich
jitrich@ucsd.edu
619-543-6163
University of California - San Diego
8-Feb-2006