Chest
Clinical InvestigationsEthambutol in Pregnancy: Observations on Embryogenesis
Section snippets
Materials and Methods
The investigations were conducted on six embryos from six different patients. The women were treated with ETM prior to conception and during pregnancy (Table 1). The pregnancies were interrupted because of the clinical or social conditions of the mothers.
Case Reports
Five of the six women were suffering from tuberculosis. One patient (the wife of a patient with severe active tuberculosis) received ethambutol as prophylaxis after she had become allergic to isoniazid (Nicotibin). Four women had active pulmonary tuberculosis: one case was bilateral; three were on the right side only. One case was far advanced and three were moderately advanced. A fifth woman suffered from glandular tuberculosis (neck), and the sixth, as stated above, received the drug
Results
Macroscopic examination of the embryos which were removed completely did not reveal any gross malformations or external anomalies. The embryonic systems were all found to be normal.
Microscopy did not reveal any retardation of development according to embryonic age. The differentiation of the brain and nerves and sensory organs was normal in all six fetuses. In serial sections of the eye, mainly retina, lens and optic nerve, anomalous development and histodifferentiation could not be detected.
Comments
According to these observations, the ETM therapy did not damage embryonic development; even that of the optic system in the six cases examined was unaffected. Although the administration of ETM was started prior to conception and continued during the teratogenically sensitive period up to 12 weeks, no signs of maldevelopment were observed. However, it must be considered that even without damage to morphogenesis, later morphofunctional differentiation, especially in the optic nerve, might be
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Tuberculosis
2011, Infectious Diseases of the Fetus and Newborn InfantTuberculosis
2010, Infectious Diseases of the Fetus and Newborn: Expert Consult - Online and PrintTuberculosis
2006, Infectious Diseases of the Fetus and Newborn InfantTuberculosis
2005, Infectious Diseases of the Fetus and the Newborn InfantTuberculosis in pregnancy
2005, Clinics in Perinatology
Manuscript received October 15; revision accepted December 5.