Can Medication Cause Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia?

Can Medication Cause Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia?Multiple studies have linked antidepressant medication with a wide range of birth defects. For this blog, we would like to discuss one of the lesser-known life threatening birth defects known as congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH).

Known medications that cause CDH are Prozac, Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro and Zoloft.

Symptoms of CDH include breathing problems, fast heart rate, bluish skin coloring and an abnormal chest and abdominal appearance in newborns.

What is Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia?

CDH is a particularly gruesome birth defect, which involves the stomach, kidney, liver and spleen forming in the chest cavity because of an abnormality that involves improper structuring of the inner organs. Additionally, an underdevelopment of the lungs is also very common.

CDH can be life threatening because the abnormalities can cause breathing difficulties. The breathing problems associated with CDH, as well as the structural problems with the internal organs, make surgery a requirement for children born with this rare birth defect. Fortunately, the survival rate for a child born with CDH is fairly high if it is corrected with surgery soon enough.

The surgery will be quite complex and expensive. If your child’s birth defect was caused by medication prescribed by a negligent healthcare provider, then you should consult a birth defect attorney who has experience in taking on powerful hospitals and pharmaceutical companies that have harmed innocent children.

To see how Farrell & Patel defend the rights of injured children and their families, you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

[Did You Know? 1 in 2,500 newborns are diagnosed with congenital diaphragmatic hernia.]

Farrell & Patel – Birth Injury Lawyers