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The birth defects caused by the drug thalidomide can range from moderate malformation to more severe forms. Possible birth defects include phocomelia , dysmelia , amelia , bone hypoplasticity , and other congenital defects affecting the ear, heart, or internal organs. [ 41 ]
Thalidomide is a known human teratogen and carries an extremely high risk of severe, life-threatening birth defects if administered or taken during pregnancy. [6] It causes skeletal deformities such as amelia (absence of legs and/or arms), absence of bones, and phocomelia (malformation of the limbs).
The REMS program developed out of previous systems dating back to the 1980s for monitoring the use of a small number of high-risk drugs such as isotretinoin, which causes serious birth defects; clozapine, which can cause agranulocytosis; and thalidomide, which is used to treat leprosy and certain cancers but causes serious birth defects. [4]
Phocomelia is a congenital condition that involves malformations of human arms and legs which result in a flipper-like appendage. [1] [2] A prominent cause of phocomelia is the mother being prescribed the use of the drug thalidomide during pregnancy; however, the causes of most cases are to be determined.
DES gained notoriety when it was shown to cause a rare vaginal tumor in girls and young women who had been exposed to this drug in utero.In 1971, the New England Journal of Medicine published a report showing that seven of eight girls and young women (ages 14 to 22) who had been diagnosed with vaginal clear cell adenocarcinoma had been exposed prenatally to DES. [5]
Currently, there is a lack of association between prenatal antihistamine exposure and birth defects. [54] Antihistamines during pregnancy have not been linked to birth defects; however, further research is necessary for some antihistamine medications to determine safety during pregnancy. [56]
Fetal hydantoin syndrome, also called fetal dilantin syndrome, is a group of defects caused to the developing fetus by exposure to teratogenic effects of phenytoin. Dilantin is the brand name of the drug phenytoin sodium in the United States, commonly used in the treatment of epilepsy .
Birth defects may result from genetic or chromosomal disorders, exposure to certain medications or chemicals, or certain infections during pregnancy. [4] Risk factors include folate deficiency , drinking alcohol or smoking during pregnancy, poorly controlled diabetes , and a mother over the age of 35 years old.