Blood Pressure Medication Linked to Severe Birth Defects Certain blood pressure medications, commonly known as ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors, have recently been linked to severe and life-threatening birth defects in children whose mothers took the drugs during their first trimester of pregnancy.

Mothers who took these regularly-prescribed blood pressure medicines in their first trimester were nearly four times as likely to have children born with serious heart and brain problems than mothers who did not take any blood pressure-lowering medicines. Many of these blood pressure medicines have been on the market for 25 years.

There are 10 ACE inhibitors currently approved for use in the United States.They are as follows:

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

ACE inhibitors are commonly used to lower high blood pressure. About 8% of pregnant women develop high blood pressure during pregnancy. The Associated Press reports, "A national survey found that the number of ACE inhibitors given to women of childbearing age increased from 1.4 million in 1995 to 2.7 million in 2002, the latest data available." The number of prescriptions is staggering considering ACE inhibitors already carry a "black box" warning——the strongest warning a drug can have. The FDA states, "ACE inhibitors can harm or even cause death to an unborn baby (fetus) if taken during the last six months of pregnancy."

The study that exposed the danger these blood pressure medications pose to pregnant women in their first trimester involved 29,507 infants born between the years of 1985 and 2000. Major birth defects, including cardiovascular defects; musculoskeletal defects such as upper limb difficulties; gastrointestinal problems; centralnervous system defects such as spina bifida; and urologic defects were all discovered. Fetal exposure to other blood pressure medications during the first trimester, however, did not show any increased risk of birth defects, further lending evidence to the link between ACE inhibitors and serious health complications in newborns.

If you took an ACE inhibitor during your pregnancy and your child suffers from a birth defect please contact us for a free consultation.