Question
Does long-term medication use cause chromosomal abnormalities?
Answer
The mechanisms of chromosomal abnormalities (i.e., chromosomal aberrations) are not fully understood and may result from the absence of chromosome pairing during late mitosis or from fragmentation and reconnection of chromosomes under various internal and external factors. 1) Quantitative aberrations include whole-arm and non-whole-arm changes, such as chromosome number amplification, number increase, and triploid appearance. 2) Structural aberrations include missing segments, insertions, repetitions, and ring chromosomes, which can be categorized as autosomal aberrations.