Healthy Living: Common antibiotic linked to higher risk of birth defects
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SEATTLE -- Some antibiotics commonly prescribed to patients are linked to a higher risk of birth defects, according to a study published in the Medical Journal BMJ.
The antibiotic is used to treat infections and most often prescribed when a patient is allergic to Penicillin.
The study suggests women who were prescribed Macrolides during the first three months of pregnancy had an increased risk of birth defects, compared to those who were prescribed Penicillin.
Macrolides are a class of antibiotic that includes erythromycin, roxithromycin, azithromycin and clarithromycin.
The study analyzed data from more than 104,600 children born in the UK between 1990 and 2016. Their mothers were either prescribed Penicillin or Macrolides.
The study found that prescribing Macrolides to pregnant women during their first trimester increased the risk of major malformations to 28 of 1,000 births. That is compared to 18 per 1,000 births with Penicillin
Specifically, the risk of cardiac malformations was higher. The study did not find a link between Macrolifes and neurodevelopmental disorders. There was also no associated risk between birth defects and Macrolides prescribed before conception.
An author of the study says based on the findings, pregnant women and their doctors should find an alternative antibiotic depending on the type of infection.
Click here to read the full BMJ study.
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