"Increased Risk Of Birth Defects In Babies After First-Trimester Exposure To Lithium"
Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found an elevated risk of major congenital malformations in fetuses after first-trimester exposure to lithium, in the largest study ever to examine the risk of birth defects in lithium-exposed babies. Lithium therapy is widely recommended as a first-line treatment for bipolar disorder, which affects approximately 2 percent of the world's population. Lithium helps to prevent severe depression and mania. In the United States, bipolar disorder is more commonly treated with anti-psychotic drugs instead of lithium. "Women should be informed on malformation risk in first-trimester exposed infants, but also about very high relapse risks for mental illness both during pregnancy and during the postpartum period," said the study's senior author, Veerle Bergink, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry and of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Given the well-documented effectiveness of lithium in reducing relapse in the perinatal period, some important clinical considerations are either to continue lithium in a lower dose during the first trimester or to restart lithium after the first trimester or immediately postpartum."
- Veerle Bergink, MD, PhD, Senior Faculty, Departments of Psychiatry and Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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