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Use of Psychotropic Medications and Visits to Psychiatrists and Psychologists among Individuals with Nonsyndromic Oral Clefts: A Population-Based Cohort Study
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Use of Psychotropic Medications and Visits to Psychiatrists and Psychologists among Individuals with Nonsyndromic Oral Clefts: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Dorthe Almind Pedersen, Ida Hageman, George L Wehby and Kaare Christensen
Birth defects research, Vol.109(11), pp.824-835
07/03/2017
DOI: 10.1002/bdr2.1024
PMCID: PMC5568049
PMID: 28402064

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Abstract

Oral clefts (OCs) are among the most common congenital malformations and can have a large impact on the life of the affected individual. Research findings regarding the psychological and psychosocial consequences of OC are inconclusive. Using Danish nationwide registers, we investigated redeemed prescriptions of psychotropic medication during 1996 to 2012 and visits to psychiatrists and psychologists during 1996 to 2011 among individuals born with nonsyndromic OC in Denmark between 1936 and 2009 and a comparison cohort of individuals without OC. This includes 8244 individuals with OC and 82,665 individuals without OC. The Cox regression analysis revealed 12% (95% confidence interval [CI], 7 to 16%) increased risk of using any psychotropic medication for individuals with OC. When examining by cleft type, higher risks for medication use were observed in individuals with cleft lip and palate (CLP) or cleft palate (CP) only. The largest increased relative risk was found for use of antipsychotics and stimulants for individuals with CP followed by use of antipsychotics for individuals with CLP. We found increased risk of visits to psychiatrists for individuals with CP and no increased risk for visits to psychologists for either group. This study indicates that a small group of individuals with nonsyndromic OC, in particular those with palatal involvement, have greater risk of using psychotropic medications. However, elevated use was also observed among younger individuals with cleft lip (CL) only. There seems to be only a modest increase in visits to health professionals for psychological reasons. Undiagnosed syndromes (e.g., 22q11 deletion syndrome), may, however, contribute to an overestimation of the associations. Birth Defects Research 109:824-835, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Denmark Psychiatry Abnormalities, Multiple - psychology Abnormalities, Multiple - therapy Adult Aged Cleft Lip - psychology Cleft Lip - therapy Cleft Palate - psychology Cleft Palate - therapy Cohort Studies Female Humans Male Middle Aged Proportional Hazards Models Psychotropic Drugs - therapeutic use Risk Factors

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