What are the causes and symptoms of hypospadias and epispadias?
Hypospadias and epispadias are congenital defects of the urinary tract. This means they occur during intrauterine development. There is no genetic basis for the defects. Specific causes for hypospadias are not known. This means that blood relatives do not have increased chances of developing them. Reports have shown some rise in prevalence of hypospadias among offspring of mothers who work in certain occupations where they may be exposed to chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system. However, a large trial ending in 2003 showed that aside from a slight increased risk among women who were hairdressers from 1992-1996, there is no evidence that maternal occupation or certain chemical exposure increases risk of hypospadias. The role of chemicals in the development of the defect remains uncertain. Concern was once raised that use of the antihistamine loratadine (Claritin) early in pregnancy might cause hypospadias. However, a national clinical trial revealed in 2004 that there was no link
