ECSTASY LINKED TO HIGH RATE OF BIRTH DEFECTS

HEART and limb abnormalities in babies are linked for the first time to
young women using the drug ecstasy during their pregnancies.

A study funded by the Department of Health found that heart defects were up
to five times higher than expected and limb abnormalities were 38 times
higher. Overall, the congenital defect rate was 15.4 per cent, when two to
three per cent was normal. That represents "a significantly increased
risk", the researchers say today.

Dr Patricia McElhatton, head of the National Teratology Information
Service, which investigates birth defects and advises doctors on drugs in
pregnancy, said the results were a cause for concern. She said: "Numbers in
the study were very small and it has been quite difficult to tease the
information out but we think there should now be more research into this."

The group undertook the investigation after receiving 302 inquiries between
1989 and 1998 about taking ecstasy in pregnancy. It traced 136 women, aged
between 16 and 36, who had taken ecstasy alone (74) or ecstasy and other
illegal drugs and/or alcohol in pregnancy. Other drugs included cocaine,
amphetamines, LSD and cannabis, heroin and methadone.

A total of 78 babies were born. The rest of the pregnancies were terminated
or ended in miscarriage. The miscarriage rate was not unusual but
terminations at 35 per cent was higher than average.

The report in The Lancet says 12 babies were born with abnormalities to
drug-taking mothers. One baby who had no obvious abnormalities died. This
baby's mother had taken ecstasy, cocaine, heroin and methadone during the
pregnancy.

Three babies had a club foot, a rate of 38 per 1,000 live births when the
national rate was one per 1,000. One baby had a toe malformation and
another a skull abnormality. Heart defects in babies among mothers taking
ecstasy and/or other drugs were 26 per 1,000, when five to 10 for every
1,000 live births was expected.

A spokesman for the Health Education Authority said that one in ten 16 to
29-year-olds said they had used ecstasy at least once. He said: "People
should be aware of the adverse effects of taking drugs. At present ecstasy
has been linked only with brain injury in later life after long-term use."