ACE inhibitors may raise birth defect risk

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - When pregnant women take ACE inhibitor medication during their first trimester, the risk of the infants having major malformations is more than doubled, according to a study in this week's New England Journal of Medicine.

Angiotensin-converting-enzyme (or ACE) inhibitors are widely used to treat high blood pressure, and are often prescribed for people with diabetes. Many formulations are available, sold under numerous brand names.

"Exposure to ACE inhibitors during the first trimester cannot be considered safe and should be avoided," Dr. William O. Cooper, from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, and colleagues caution.

It has already been recognized that taking ACE inhibitors during the second and third trimesters can lead to birth defects, the investigators note. It was believed that use of the drugs during the first three months of pregnancy was safe, and this idea was reinforced by studies in animals, the authors note.