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Birth Defect: Pregnancies
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Neural tube defects (NTDs), one of the most common birth defects, occur in approximately 4,000 pregnancies in the United States each year. NTDs result when the neural tube, which includes the spinal cord and brain, fails to close during the first month of embryonic development. NTDs include several disorders ranging from spina bifida (incomplete closure of the bones around the spinal cord that can lead to paralysis) to a lack of a cranium (the bones of the head) and its contents, called anencephaly.
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In July 2006, the FDA issued a Public Health Advisory on the latest type of birth defect believed to be associated with SSRIs, based on a study in the February 2006, New England Journal of Medicine. The study found an increased risk of a live-threatening lung disorder in infants exposed to SSRIs during pregnancy, stating:
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Radiation during the first three months of pregnancy can cause birth defects such as microcephaly (small head), spina bifida (a hole in the back that marks the premature end of the spinal nerves), blindness, or cleft palate. Various medicines and recreational drugs can cause birth defects, which are most severe when used during the first three months of pregnancy. Thalidomide, an anti-nausea medicine prescribed during the 1960s, caused birth defects called phocomelia (absence of most of the arm with the hands extending flipper-like from the shoulders).
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Earlier this month, five more lawsuits were filed on behalf of families of infants born with birth defects to mothers who were prescribed Paxil during pregnancy. Of the five cases, two are personal injury lawsuits and three are wrongful death cases. The lawsuits allege that GSK failed to warn doctors and consumers about the risk of birth defects and Paxil.
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Environmental causes of birth defects have more to do with the mother's health and exposure to chemicals or diseases. When a mother has certain infections, such as rubella, during pregnancy, it can cause birth defects. Alcohol abuse by the mother causes fetal alcohol syndrome, and certain medications taken by the mother can cause birth defects.
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Rubella, or German measles, is an example of an infection that causes birth defects if a woman has the infection during early pregnancy. The type of birth defect that results depends on the stage of development when the infection occurs. Rubella causes cataracts if infection occurs during the sixth week of pregnancy, deafness if the infection occurs during the ninth week, and heart defects if the infection occurs between the fifth and 10th week of pregnancy.
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