Protective effect of hyperemesis gravidarum for nonsyndromic oral clefts.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate whether hyperemesis gravidarum is associated with a decreased risk for nonsyndromic oral clefts and to examine the relationship between hyperemesis gravidarum, birth weight, and gestational age.


METHODS
This was a population-based, matched case-control study of 1950 subjects with oral clefts (1368 with cleft lip with or without cleft palate; 582 with cleft palate) collected from the Hungarian Congenital Abnormality Registry and 1955 controls identified from the National Birth Registry.


RESULTS
Fewer mothers of newborns with oral clefts had early-onset hyperemesis gravidarum than did mothers of controls (cleft lip with or without cleft palate: 83 cases and 121 controls, odds ratio [OR] = 0.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.50, 0.89; cleft palate: 42 cases and 64 controls, OR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.42, 0.94). The use of dimenhydrinate was more common among mothers of subjects with cleft palate (OR = 2.47, 95% CI 1.11, 5.49), whereas iron seemed to have a protective effect against this condition (OR = 0.26, 95% CI 0.09, 0.80). Gestational age and birth weight were not significantly associated with hyperemesis gravidarum.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that hyperemesis gravidarum provides a protective effect against risk to oral clefts in newborns.
Czeizel
Andrew E
AE
Foundation for the Community Control of Hereditary Diseases, Budapest, Hungary.
Sárközi
Andrea
A
Wyszynski
Diego F
DF
D000328:Adult; D000932:Antiemetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001724:Birth Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D006939:Hyperemesis Gravidarum / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000932:Antiemetics