Prevention of congenital abnormalities by vitamin A.
The objective of the study was to determine the human teratogenic risk of vitamin A supplementation during pregnancy. Paired analysis of cases with congenital abnormalities and matched healthy controls was performed in the large population-based data set of the Hungarian Case-Control Surveillance of Congenital Abnormalities, 1980-1994. Of 35,727 pregnant women who had control infants without defects, 3399 (9.5%) were treated with vitamin A. Of 20,830 pregnant women who had case offspring with congenital abnormalities, 1642 (7.9%) were treated with vitamin A, a rate that is significantly lower than that of the control group (p < 0.001). The case-control pair analysis also showed a lower rate of vitamin A treatment during pregnancy and in the first trimester of gestation in most congenital abnormality groups. Thus, use of low or moderate doses of vitamin A (< 10,000 IU) during the first trimester of pregnancy (i.e., organogenesis) is not teratogenic but presents some protective effect to the fetus.
Department of Human Genetics and Teratology, National Institute of Public Health, WHO Collaborating Centre for the Community Control of Hereditary Diseases, Budapest.
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Czeizel
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Rockenbauer
D000014:Abnormalities, Drug-Induced; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*
D014801:Vitamin A