Lithium use in pregnancy leads to which of the following effect on baby?
High-Yield Explanation
Ans. A. CVS defectLithium is in FDA pregnancy category D, which includes drugs for which there is evidence of human fetal risk, but whose potential benefits may outweigh the risk in some pregnant women. Lithium appears to increase the risk of cardiovascular anomalies in humans (the incidence of Ebstein anomaly of the tricuspid valve is between 1 and 2 per 1,000 which is 10 to 20 times greater than in the general population). Although the teratogenic risk of lithium is still greater than that found in the general population, it is lower than that posed by carbamazepine and valproate. Fetal echocardiography is advised to screen for cardiovascular malformations in women exposed to lithium during the first trimester of pregnancy.