Paxil Associated with Increase in Congenital Heart Defects

Drug Company Study Associates Paxil With Increase In Congenital Heart Defects

The Food and Drug Administration is warning that the antidepressant drug Paxil may be associated with increases in birth defects. A study by GlaxoSmith Kine has found increased numbers of babies born with birth defects to women who were taking Paxil during the first trimester of pregnancy. The most significant risk was for congenital heart defects. The FDA released a letter from the manufacturer on Tuesday with a warning to health care professionals about the new study results. : http://www.fda.gov/

chds and the environment

Congenital Heart Defects Doubled in Neighborhood with Chemical Spill

Babies born in a polluted neighborhood in Endicott, New York have more than double the expected rate of congenital heart defects. The Department of Health has documented at least 15 cases of CHDs over a 17-year period in a neighborhood of only 2,600 people. The neighborhood, where the high rate of heart defects has been documented, is polluted by an underground plume of chemical vapors from an electronics manufacturer. One of the main toxic chemicals in the neighborhood is trichloroethylene (TCE), once widely used in the electronics industry. Studies have linked TCE with heart defects and other birth defects like cleft lip and palate.

From Press and Sun Bulletin. Binghamton NY Sept. 18, 2005.