Chromosome examination of patients under lithium therapy

The chromosomal aberrations of 13 patients who had received continuous lithium therapy for affective disorders were examined. Healthy college women were used as controls. There was a high frequency in gaps among the patients compared with the controls, but there was no significant difference between them. Although there was a significant relationship between the age of patients and the incidence of abnormal cells, there was no relationship between the duration of lithium therapy and the incidence of abnormal cells. These results suggest that lithium carbonate has neither the suppression effect of chromosomal repair mechanisms nor mutagenic activity. In order to discuss the teratogenicity of lithium salts on human beings, it seems necessary to conduct chromosome examinations of babies born to lithium-treated women.