单选题：Pregnant women warned about ACE inhibitor Some of the most c

Pregnant women warned about ACE inhibitor
Some of the most commonly used medicines for high b100d pressure are drugs called ACE inhibitors．Doctors have given these drugs to patients for twenty—five years．A government study in the U-nited States found that the use almost dOHbled betweenl995 and 2000．
Doctors have known for years that women should not take ACE inhibitors during the last six moRths of pregnancy．The medicine can injure t11e baby．ACE inhibitors，though，have been consid-ered safe when taken during the 6rst three moRths． But a new study has found that women who take these drugs early in their pregnancy stiu increase the risk of birth disorders．The study shows that compared to others，their babies were almost three times as likely to be born with major problemls．These included problems with the formation of the brain and nervous system and holes in the heart．
The researchers say they found no increased risk in women who took other blood pressure medicines during the first three morths．Researchers at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee and Boston U niversity did the study．The New England Journal of Medicine published the results．The researchers studied the records of almost thirty thousand births between 1985 and 2000．Two hndred nine babies were borB to women who took ACE inhibitoys during the first thtee months of their pregmaRcies．Eight-en of the babies，or almost nine percent，had major disorders．
ACE inhibitoys are often given to patients with diabetes． But diabetes during pregnancy can rlesult in birth defects．So the studv did not include any women known to be diabetic．ACE inhibitors suppress a protein called angiotensin—converting enzyme，or ACE．This enzyme pmduces a chemical in the body that makes blood passages naiTow． The dmgs increase the flow of blood so pressure is reduced．
New drugs are tested or pregnant animals to see if they might cause binh defects in humans．But experts say these tests are not always dependable．The United States Food and Drug Administration helped pay for the study．The F．D．A．says women who might become pregRant should talk with their doctor about other ways to treat high blood pressure．
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