POTENTIAL CARCINOGENICITY OF CHLORAL HYDRATE - A REVIEW

Chloral hydrate is commonly used to sedate children for diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. The drug has been extensively used for many ye ars, but there are remarkably few data on its long-term health effects . Concern in this regard is raised by recent studies showing chloral h ydrate to be genotoxic, causing chromosome changes and other effects i n vivo and in vitro. in addition, chloral hydrate is a reactive metabo lite of trichloroethylene, a known carcinogen, and is structurally sim ilar to other carcinogenic intermediates. Two carcinogenicity studies performed using the oral route of administration in mice indicate that the drug is potentially carcinogenic - in one case after a single dos e lower than the typical dose used for sedation. Practitioners should be aware of chloral hydrate's genotoxicity and potential carcinogenici ty. Discretion in its use seems appropriate until further studies clar ify its long term health consequences.