Pregnant Women Warned About ACE Inhibitor
1. Some of the most commonly used medicines for high blood pressure are drugs called ACE inhibitors. Doctors have given these drugs to patients for twenty-five years. A government study in the United States found that the use almost doubled between 1995 and 2000.
2. Doctors have known for years that women should not take ACE inhibitors during the last six months of pregnancy. The medicine can injure the baby. ACE inhibitors, though, have been considered safe when taken during the first three months. But a New study has found that women who take these drugs early in their pregnancy still increase the risk of birth disorders2. The study shows that, compared to others, their babies were almost three times as likely to be born with major problems.3 These included problems with the formation of the brain and nervous system and holes in the heart.
3. The researchers say they found no increased risk in women who took other blood pressure medicines during the first three months. Researchers at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee and Boston University did the study. The New England Journal of Medicine4 published the results. The researchers studied the records of almost thirty thousand births between 1985 and 2000. Two hundred nine babies were born to women who took ACE inhibitors during the first three months of their pregnancies. Eighteen of the babies, or almost nine percent, had major disorders.
4. ACE inhibitors are often given to patients with diabetes. But diabetes during pregnancy can result in birth defects. So the study did not include any women known to be diabetic5. ACE inhibitors suppress a protein called angiotensin-converting enzyme, or ACE. This enzyme produces a chemical in the body that makes blood passages narrow. The drugs increase the flow of blood so pressure is reduced.
5. New drugs are tested on pregnant animals to see if they might cause birth defects in humans. But experts say these tests are not always dependable. The United States Food and Drug Administration6 helped pay for the study. The F. D. A. says women who might become pregnant should talk with their doctor about other ways to treat high blood pressure.
词汇：
pregnant adj.怀孕的
warn vt.警告
inhibitor n. 抑制剂
pregnancy n.怀孕
diabetes ( = diabetes mellitus) n.糖尿病
diabetic adj.糖尿病的;n.糖尿病患者
suppress vt.抑制
protein n.蛋白(质)
dependable adj.可靠的
注释：
1.ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme):血管紧张肽转化酶
2.birth disorders:先天性疾病
3.The study shows that, compared to others, their babies were almost three times as likely to be born with major problems.这项研究表明,与其他婴儿相比,这些婴儿在出生时患大病的可能性几乎是他们的三倍。problem在医学文献中常常用来指疾病。
4.New England Journal Medicine:《新英格兰医学杂志》。New England是美国东北六州(Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island 和Connecticut)的总称。
5.birth defect ( = congenital defect):先天性缺陷,先天性缺损
6.United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA):美国食品与药品管理局
练习：
1.Paragraph 2 ____________
2.Paragraph 3 ____________
3.Paragraph 4 ____________
4.Paragraph 5 ____________
A Effects of ACE and ACE Inhibitors
B Wide Use of ACE Inhibitors
C How to Deal with High Blood Pressure in Pregnant Women
D Damage to Pregnant Women’s Future Babies
E Suggestions on Stopping the Use of ACE Inhibitors
F F. Relative Safe for Women During the First Three Months of Pregnancies
5.FDA. suggests that pregnant women with high blood pressure should consult ____________.
6.ACE inhibitors are not recommended ____________.
7.Evidence showed only a small percentage of babies suffered major disorders ____________.
8.ACE is a risk factor to our body ____________.
A that may cause our blood vessels to become more and more narrow
B for pregnant women to take during their last six months of pregnancies
C that their likelihood to suffer major problems is two times higher than other babies
D with their doctors about how to treat their problems
E because diabetes during pregnancy may sometimes lead to birth defects
F F. though their mothers took ACE inhibitors during their first three months of pregnancies
答案与题解：
1.D第二段说的是孕妇在孕期最后六个月服用ACE抑制剂会给未来婴儿带来伤害,婴儿患大病的可能性几乎是其他婴儿的三倍,包括大脑和神经系统发育缺陷及心脏出现空洞等。
2.F第三段说患高血压的孕妇在孕期头三个月服用其他降压药,她们的危险性并没有增加;即使服用ACE抑制剂,其婴儿也只有大约9%患大病。故妊娠期前三个月相对安全。
3.A第四段说，ACE抑制剂可以抑制一种叫ACE的蛋白质，ACE可以使血管变窄,而ACE 抑制剂则可增加血流使血压下降。
4.C第五段说,虽然目前正在妊娠动物上试验新药,但其结果也不一定可靠,因此患高血压的妊娠妇女还是要去咨询医生。
5.D本题答案在文章的最后一句。talk with与consult with的意思相同,都是“咨询、商量”的意思。
6.B第二段第一句说,多年来医生已经知道,妇女在妊娠的后六个月不应该服用ACE抑制剂。
7.F第三段后半部说,研究人员研究了大约30,000个婴儿,其中209个婴儿的母亲在妊娠的前三个月服用过ACE抑制剂,但只有18个婴儿患有大病,大约占9%。
8.A本题答案在第四段倒数第二句,该句说,这种酶(即ACE)可使血管变窄。
译文：孕妇要警惕ACE抑制剂
ACE(血管紧张肽转化酶)抑制剂是指那些通常用于治疗高血压的药物。医生给病人用这种药已经25年了。美国政府的一份研究报告显示，在1995年到2000年之间，这种药的用量翻了一番。
医生们一直都知道，虽然服用ACE(血管紧张肽转化酶)抑制剂在妊娠期的前3个月是安全地，但是在妊娠期的后6个月不应该服用ACE(血管紧张肽转化酶)抑制剂。因为这种药物会损伤婴儿。可是有一项新的研究发现，孕妇在妊娠初期服用这种药物，同样会增加新生儿患先天性疾病的风险。这项研究表明，与其他婴儿相比，这些婴儿在出生时患大病得可能性几乎是其他婴儿的3倍。这些病包括大脑和神经系统发育缺陷及心脏出现空洞。
研究人员表示，患高血压的孕妇在妊娠期的前3个月服用其他降压药，她们的危险性并没有增加。来自田纳西州的范德比特大学和波士顿大学的研究人员对此进行了研究。《新英格兰医学杂志》发表了此项研究成果。研究人员研究了从1985年至2000年出生的约3万新生儿的记录。其中有209个新生儿的母亲曾经在妊娠期的前3个月里服用过ACE(血管紧张肽转化酶)抑制剂。这些新生儿中有18个，大约占研究总数的9%，患有严重地先天性疾病。
ACE(血管紧张肽转化酶)抑制剂通常用于患有糖尿病的患者。但孕妇患糖尿病可能会导致新生儿的先天性缺陷。因此这项研究的研究对象不包括任何患有糖尿病的孕妇。ACE抑制剂的作用是抑制血管紧张肽转化酶，又称ACE。这种酶在人体内制造一种使血管变窄、血压上升的化学物质。ACE抑制剂则能增加血液的流动，因此血压造成降低。
目前正通过在妊娠动物上试验新药，来推断它会不会造成人类新生儿的先天缺陷。但专家表示，这些测试结果也不一定可靠。美国食品与药品管理局资助了这项研究。食品与药品管理局指出：患高血压的妇女在怀孕前应该向医生咨询治疗高血压的其他方法。
