Mária Szilasi1, Liza Bártfai2, Zoltán Bártfai3, Ferenc Bánhidy4, Andrew E Czeizel5. 1. Department of Pulmonology, University of Debrecen, Medical and Health Science Center, Debrecen, Hungary. 2. Department of Pulmonology, Elisabeth Teaching Hospital Sopron, Sopron, Hungary. 3. Department of Pulmonology, Elisabeth Teaching Hospital, Győri út 15, H-9400 Sopron, Hungary. 4. Second Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Semmelweis University, School of Medicine, Budapest, Hungary. 5. Foundation for the Community Control of Hereditary Diseases, Budapest, Hungary.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: In Hungary, vitamin E is frequently used to prevent repeated or threatened abortion. A previous study showed a higher risk of cardiovascular malformations in the children of pregnant women who had a high vitamin E intake either in their diet or by taking supplements. The objective was to examine this association. METHODS: The Hungarian Case-Control Surveillance System of Congenital Abnormalities, 1980-1996, is a large, population-based dataset including 22,843 cases with congenital abnormalities, 38,151 healthy controls matched to the cases, and 834 patient controls with Down syndrome. Vitamin E treatment was compared in the mothers of these children. RESULTS: The mothers of 1418 cases with congenital abnormalities (6.2%), 2267 controls (6.0%) and 43 patient controls (5.2%) had vitamin E treatment during pregnancy. A preliminary comparison of cases and controls showed a higher risk for four congenital abnormality groups, including cardiovascular malformations. However, if only prospectively and medically recorded vitamin E treatments in the prenatal maternity logbook were evaluated during the critical period of different congenital abnormalities, the higher risk for these congenital abnormalities was not found. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study were based on relatively high-dose vitamin E intake in pregnant women and were not able to confirm the previously reported teratogenic effect of vitamin E.
OBJECTIVE: In Hungary, vitamin E is frequently used to prevent repeated or threatened abortion. A previous study showed a higher risk of cardiovascular malformations in the children of pregnant women who had a high vitamin E intake either in their diet or by taking supplements. The objective was to examine this association. METHODS: The Hungarian Case-Control Surveillance System of Congenital Abnormalities, 1980-1996, is a large, population-based dataset including 22,843 cases with congenital abnormalities, 38,151 healthy controls matched to the cases, and 834 patient controls with Down syndrome. Vitamin E treatment was compared in the mothers of these children. RESULTS: The mothers of 1418 cases with congenital abnormalities (6.2%), 2267 controls (6.0%) and 43 patient controls (5.2%) had vitamin E treatment during pregnancy. A preliminary comparison of cases and controls showed a higher risk for four congenital abnormality groups, including cardiovascular malformations. However, if only prospectively and medically recorded vitamin E treatments in the prenatal maternity logbook were evaluated during the critical period of different congenital abnormalities, the higher risk for these congenital abnormalities was not found. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study were based on relatively high-dose vitamin E intake in pregnant women and were not able to confirm the previously reported teratogenic effect of vitamin E.