Ethambutol in Pregnancy

¹ Department of Medicine, The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York; Bronx Municipal Hospital Center, Bronx, New York

In this study, 38 tuberculosis patients who had 42 pregnancies are presented. All the patients received ethambutol (EMB) in multidrug regimens. The dose of EMB was 15 mg/kg in 24 of the pregnancies, 25 mg/kg in 7, and in 11 25 mg/kg at first and then 15 mg/kg. Ethambutol was administered throughout gestation in 57 percent of pregnancies and in 66 percent to 69 percent of pregnancies in the first trimester and 76 percent to 88 percent of pregnancies in the last trimester. Fifty percent of the babies were followed up to one year, 14 percent up to two years, 17 percent up to three years and the remainder from four up to nine years. In eight infants abnormalities were noted at birth or during the postnatal period. These included 1) supernumerary nipple, 2) small umbilical hernia, 3) withdrawal syndrome, 4) mild right tibial torsion, 5) congenital dislocation of the hips, 6) left hydrocele, 7) minimal metatarsus adductus and 8) skin tag left little finger and two "strawberry marks." A few of the abnormalities had no obvious relationship to EMB. The other abnormalities showed no pattern, were not recurrent (with a single example of each condition), were of no major significance and were not more common than in the general population. Ethambutol had no effect on intrauterine fetal growth and was associated with a normal prematurity rate. In this study the indication is that EMB had no teratologic influence.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				American Thoracic Society/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Infectious Diseases Society of America: Treatment of Tuberculosis Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., February 15, 2003; 167(4): 603 - 662. [Full Text] [PDF]