Certain selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) antidepressants do not appear to increase the risk for most kinds of birth defects, say researchers from Boston University's (BU) Slone Epidemiology Center. Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine, they suggest that individual SSRIs may increase the risk for some specific defects, but these are rare and the absolute risks are small. The new study 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.
Scrutiny 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. 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. "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.
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Source: Boston University
