Antidepressant use in pregnancy and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN): A systematic review

Geert W. 't Jong, Thomas Einarson, Gideon Koren, Adrienne Einarson

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

34 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: An association between PPHN and antidepressant use in pregnancy has been reported. Purpose: We sought to examine this relationship. Methods: A review of the literature was performed, to evaluate this association. Results: Six published studies fulfilled our criteria for inclusion, with only three studies large enough to have the power to detect an association. There appears to be a small but significantly, increased risk of late pregnancy SSRI exposure associated with PPHN in one case-control study; OR 5.1 (95% CI, 1.9-13.3) and two large cohort studies; RR 2.56; (95% CI, 1.17-4.85) and OR 2.1 (95% CI, 1.5-3.0) The other three studies did not find an association. Conclusion: the absolute risk cannot be determined, but it is very small, probably less than 1%. If a pregnant woman requires pharmacological treatment, this information does not support discontinuation or lowering the dose of the antidepressant.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)293-297
Number of pages5
JournalReproductive Toxicology
Volume34
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2012
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Antidepressants
  • Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn
  • Pregnancy

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