Pulmonary Hypertension in Newborns with Late-Gestation SSRI Exposure

Clinicians need to take into account another possible risk from antidepressant use during pregnancy.

The benefits of not being depressed during pregnancy need to be weighed against the risks to the fetus if antidepressants are used. Researchers have approached the issue in various ways (see, e.g., Journal Watch Psychiatry Feb 8 2006). Now, other researchers have examined the risk for persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN), a severe respiratory illness that ordinarily occurs in 1 to 2 of every 1000 births, with a mortality rate of 10% to 20%.

In this retrospective, case-control study, mothers underwent telephone interviews within 6 months of delivering an infant after 34 weeks of gestation. The 377 cases were born with definite PPHN but with no unrelated malformations or medical problems; controls were 836 healthy infants. R…

Reviewing Author

Barbara Geller, MD