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Feet of a baby born to a mother who had taken thalidomide while pregnant. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the use of thalidomide in 46 countries was prescribed to women who were pregnant or who subsequently became pregnant, and consequently resulted in the "biggest anthropogenic medical disaster ever," with more than 10,000 children born with a range of severe deformities, such as ...
The birth defects caused by thalidomide led to the development of greater drug regulation and monitoring in many countries. [9] [11] It was approved in the United States in 1998 for use as a treatment for cancer. [6] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. [12] It is available as a generic medication. [8] [13]
Teratogens are substances that may cause non-heritable birth defects via a toxic effect on an embryo or fetus. [1] Defects include malformations, disruptions, deformations, and dysplasia that may cause stunted growth, delayed mental development, or other congenital disorders that lack structural malformations. [ 2 ]
[35] [36] Teratogen-caused birth defects are potentially preventable. Nearly 50% of pregnant women have been exposed to at least one medication during gestation. [ 37 ] During pregnancy, a woman can also be exposed to teratogens from contaminated clothing or toxins within the seminal fluid of a partner.
Fetal hydantoin syndrome, also called fetal dilantin syndrome, is a group of defects caused to the developing fetus by exposure to teratogenic effects of phenytoin. Dilantin is the brand name of the drug phenytoin sodium in the United States, commonly used in the treatment of epilepsy .
Anti-hypertensives are blood pressure medications used to treat high blood pressure in pregnant women. [38] This class of medication is commonly used to treat problems such as heart failure, heart attack, and kidney failure. [38] Caution must be exercised with the use of various hypertensive agents for the treatment of blood pressure. [57]
Phocomelia is a congenital condition that involves malformations of human arms and legs which result in a flipper-like appendage. [1] [2] A prominent cause of phocomelia is the mother being prescribed the use of the drug thalidomide during pregnancy; however, the causes of most cases are to be determined.
Elemental mercury( Hg 0) is a metal that exists as liquid form at room temperature and is commonly found in thermometers, blood pressure cuffs and dental amalgams. In terms of exposure, the route of absorption is primarily via inhalation through mercury vapor, which can in turn lead to mercury poisoning . [ 26 ]