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Persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPH) is a rare condition associated with respiratory failure and high mortality risk. A small 1996 cohort study suggested that maternal use of selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in late pregnancy might be a risk factor for persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborns (N Engl J Med 1996; 335:1010).
In a new case-control study conducted at 97 institutions in four metropolitan areas from 1998 to 2003, researchers retrospectively studied use of medications, including SSRIs, among 377 mothers of infants with PPH and 836 matched control mothers whose infants did not have PPH. All infants were born after 34 weeks of gestation.
SSRI use after week 20 of pregnancy was reported in interviews by 14 case m…