Antidepressants and Heart Birth Defects

Having a baby is often associated with feelings of happiness, joy and fulfillment. Those feelings can drastically change to anger, hurt and guilt when parents learn that their child has a congenital heart defect.  A congenital heart defect, or cardiac birth defect, occurs when the heart of a fetus fails to properly develop. When the heart does not function properly, a baby can suffer long-term developmental problems and even death.

Generally, congenital heart abnormalities are caused by genetic or environmental factors, such as drug exposure during pregnancy.  Studies show that taking antidepressants similar to Effexor, Pristiq, Celexa, Lexapro, Prozac and Zoloft during pregnancy may increase the risk of having a child with a cardiac birth defect.

There are different types of heart defects that can range from a very slight abnormality with no symptoms to a life threatening defect requiring a heart transplant.

The following is a list of some types of congenital birth defects of the heart:

Coarctation of the aorta: The aorta is the large artery that pumps blood from the heart out into the body. Coarctation of the aorta occurs when the aorta in a baby’s heart is too narrow, causing uneven blood flow to the rest of the body. To remedy this defect, a doctor may place a tube (catheter) into the aorta and inflate it. Sometimes surgery is necessary.

Heart valve abnormalities: Congenital heart valve abnormalities involve heart valves that are either blocked, narrowed or fail to close normally. This causes blood to flow poorly throughout the body. Some common types of valve abnormalities include Ebstein’s anomaly, pulmonary atresia and pulmonary valve stenosis. This congenital defect can be treated with catheters (tubes) or surgeons may replace faulty valves with man-made alternatives.

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome: This is a very serious and life threatening congenital heart defect which occurs when the left side of the heart, including the mitral valve, left ventricle and aorta, fail to develop completely. The left side of the heart is the main blood pumping chamber and poor development can cause sudden death. Numerous surgeries are required to fix this congenital defect with the first procedure occurring within days of birth.  In some cases, a heart transplant is needed. Patients born with Hypoplastic left heart syndrome may need to return for additional procedures in their 20s and 30s.

Patent Ductus Arteriosis (PDA): The ductus arteriosus is a large artery that is present in a fetus but normally closes shortly after birth. The ductus arteriosus allows blood to bypass the lungs before a fetus is born since the fetus only gets its oxygen through the placenta. If the ductus does not close soon after birth, the heart is unable to get oxygen. PDA is a very serious birth defect that can lead to congenital heart failure. This heart defect can be treated with medicine. If that fails, surgery is needed.

Septal defect: A septal defect occurs when a hole develops in the wall (septum) of the heart. The septum separates the right and left sides of the heart. Septal defects can lead to the improper circulation of blood, making the heart work overtime. An atrial septal defect (ASD) is a hole in the wall between the heart’s two upper chambers. A hole in the wall between the two lower chambers is called a ventricular septal defect (VSD). Treatment varies for both ASD and VSD. If the problem is not too serious, sometimes holes will heal themselves over time. More severe cases may require open heart surgery.

Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF): This type of defect is a combination of four types of heart birth defects which can lead to blood not getting enough oxygen from the lungs.  A newborn suffering from TOF may have difficulty feeding and poor development. Affected babies also often have episodes of cyanosis (blue coloration of the skin). Surgery is usually needed during the early months of life to repair this birth defect. Sometimes multiple surgeries are required.

Transposition of the great arteries: Also known as transposition of the great vessels, this congenital defect occurs when the two major arteries carrying blood away from the heart (the aorta and the pulmonary artery) are switched, or transposed. This causes a severe lack of oxygen in the blood and newborns often suffer from Cyanosis. Surgery is often required during the first weeks of life to correct the reversal of arteries.