Zoloft Linked to Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension

Like many other Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), Zoloft (Sertraline) causes a variety of birth defects. One commonly cited Zoloft birth defect is Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension (PPHN), which typically occurs in one or two children per 1000. Symptoms include severe respiratory failure at birth that requires mechanical intervention by incubation and ventilation. By increasing blood pressure in the heart, PPHN can prevent a person’s blood supply from oxygenating adequately. Even with treatment, 10-to-20 percent of infants with this condition die.

Researchers led by Dr. Christina D. Chambers proved the connection in an article titled, “Selective Serotonin-Reuptake Inhibitors and Risk of Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn,” in the February 9, 2006 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Before they began investigating the relationship between late pregnancy SSRI use and PPHN, only one prior SSRI study, using Prozac (fluoxetine), suggested a relationship existed. The NEJM researchers used data from the Slone Epidemiology Center Birth Defects Study, and they found 377 women whose children were both with PPHN and 836 women who served as controls. Some of the women in both categories used SSRIs, including Zoloft.

The results are fairly clear. 14 of the 377 infants with PPHN were born to women who had been using SSRIs after their 20th week of pregnancy (pregnancies last 40 weeks) compared to six children born to women who had not. The researchers calculated an odds ratio of 6.1:1 for Zoloft Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in newborns against PPHN in infants born to non-SSRI users. Strikingly, children born to women who had taken SSRIs before 20 weeks or who took non-SSRIs during pregnancy did not develop PPHN to any statistically significant degree.

The NEJM study demonstrates the connection between late pregnancy SSRI use and Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in newborns. If you used Zoloft after 20 weeks of pregnancy and your child was born with Zoloft PPHN, you may have a claim against Pfizer for compensation. The Rottenstin Law Group is now offering free, confidential legal consultations to parents like you if you complete our contact form to the right or click on this link.