Medical Description

Birth defects are problems that occur while a baby is developing in the mother’s body, and most happen during the first three months of pregnancy. One out of every 33 babies in the United States is born with a birth defect.

Birth defects can affect how the body looks or works, and, sometimes, both. Some examples of birth defects are cleft lips or neural tube defects, and they can vary from mild to severe.

Some birth defects result from exposures to medicine or chemicals, but for most, the cause is unknown.

Symptoms

• heart defects
• cleft lip
• spina bifida (the spinal column doesn’t close completely around the spinal cord)
• difficulty controlling muscle movement.
• chronic respiratory problems
• pneumonia
• bulky stools
• poor weight gain
• long face
• flat feet
• progressive muscle weakness and degeneration
• delayed growth
• mental retardation
• disorders of the central nervous system
• abnormal facial features
• anomalies of distal limbs (abnormalities in fingers, toes, heart, esophagus, kidneys)

General Information

On October 29, 2007, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Roche Holding’s drug CellCept is associated with an increased risk for miscarriages and birth defects.

On November 27, 2007, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that Myfortic may increase the risk of miscarriages in the first three months of the pregnancy. Myfortic was also found to increase the risk of birth defects such as malformations of the external ear and face in addition to other drug-related birth defect risks including anomalies of distal limbs.

A December 2007 study found butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) may interfere with the development of healthy breast tissue, and may cause birth defects.

Source: “Novartis’ Myfortic Poses Fetal Risks — FDA,”
Reuters, November 27, 2007.

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