Blood Pressure Drugs Linked To Birth Defects
08 Jun 2006

ACE inhibitors, drugs commonly used to treat high blood pressure, have been linked to birth defects if taken by the expectant mother during the first trimester of her pregnancy, according to a new study carried out by researchers at Vanderbilt University and Boston University.

You can read about this study in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Researchers gathered data from the medical records of 29,507 newborns. 209 of their mothers had taken ACE inhibitors during the first trimester of pregnancy. 18 of them were born with birth defects, of which 9 had heart defects. In other words:

Of 209 newborns who had been exposed to ACE inhibitors during the first three months of their mothers' pregnancy:

-- 18 had birth defects, about 9% of total
-- Of which 9 had heart defects, about 4.5% of total or 50% of those with birth defects

Expectant mothers taking ACE inhibitors during their first trimester were 2.7 times as likely to have a baby with a birth defect than mothers who did not take the drug during their first trimester.

In the USA alone, 149 million ACE inhibitor prescriptions are dispensed each year, in total - not just to pregnant mothers. ACE inhibitors have been prescribed to patients for over 25 years. They are the second most popular prescription drugs in the developed world today.

The researchers say that any woman who is pregnant, or planning to start a family should avoid taking ACE inhibitors. It is vital that all women of child-bearing age know about this, as well as their health care providers, so that alternative medications to treat hypertension can be identified.

Here is a list of some commonly used ACE inhibitors:

-- captopril (Capoten)
-- benazepril (Lotensin)
-- enalapril (Vasotec)
-- lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril)
-- fosinopril (Monopril)
-- ramipril (Altace)
-- perindopril (Aceon)
-- quinapril (Accupril)
-- moexipril (Univasc)
-- trandolapril (Mavik)

Trimester = Three month period. A pregnancy is divided into three trimesters - the first trimester, the second trimester, the third trimester
High blood pressure = Hypertension

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today
Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/hea...hp?newsid=44821

Will this be enough to convince doctors to put the moms on low glycemic diet instead of prescription drugs?

er.... ACE inhibitors are not supposed to be given to pregnant women, especially during the first trimester. The warnings are for fetal death. This has been known for years.

Personally, I've taken an ACE inhibitor for high blood pressure in a low dose for years. I'm a guy, so the pregnancy warnings do not apply. I could be taken off the medicine, but I have heard that ACE inhibitors have the same heart-healthy effects of low dose aspirin.

Also, ACE inhibitors have no mental side effects and are cheap.

what about preeclampsia? is that strictly third trimester news? and do they use these blood pressure drugs for it? my cousin's wife had high blood pressure through both pregnancies with full blown eclampsia at the end of both.

Vitamin D.

Doctors tend to call every case of high blood pressure in pregnancy preeclampsia. My 4 pregnancies all in the 70s were labled preeclamptic (don't know if that's a word) in the 2nd trimester because I had high BP even though I never had any of the other symptom. They give drugs for hypertension in early pregnancy too.

I had high BP even on a low carb diet and in my 20s when I wasn't fat. It can be related to anxiety which is a good bet for me. I'm on an ACE inhibitor now that I'm an old lady and I love it. It doesn't effect my mood and it's salt sparing - so no leg cramping.