Prenatal Exposure to Antiseizure Meds May Not Increase Epilepsy Risk in Children
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, March 1, 2024 -- The associations between prenatal exposure to certain antiseizure medications (ASMs) and epilepsy risk among children are attenuated in sensitivity analyses, according to a study published online Feb. 26 in JAMA Network Open.
Julie Werenberg Dreier, Ph.D., from Aarhus University in Denmark, and colleagues examined whether use of valproate and other ASMs in pregnancy among mothers with epilepsy is associated with the risk for epilepsy in their children. The study included 38,663 children of mothers with epilepsy; children were followed from birth for a mean of 7.2 years.
The researchers found that the risks for epilepsy were increased for children of mothers who used valproate in pregnancy compared with 22,207 children of mothers not using an ASM in pregnancy (adjusted hazard ratios [aHRs], 2.18 and 2.10 for monotherapy and polytherapy, respectively). No dose-dependent association was seen, and the risk for epilepsy was similar in siblings who were exposed and unexposed to valproate. An increased risk for epilepsy was seen in association with prenatal exposure to topiramate monotherapy (aHR, 2.32); the risk was greater for higher doses and was attenuated in comparisons with children of mothers who discontinued topiramate before pregnancy. An increased risk for epilepsy was also seen in association with prenatal exposure to clonazepam monotherapy (aHR, 1.90), but further analyses were precluded by limited follow-up and low numbers.
"These findings suggest that prenatal ASM exposure may not increase epilepsy risk in children of mothers with epilepsy and indicate that differences were more likely associated with other underlying factors (e.g., possibly the heritability of the maternal epilepsy)," the authors write.
Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted March 2024
Read this next
In Utero Exposure to Antiseizure Meds Does Not Affect Child Creativity
WEDNESDAY, May 29, 2024 -- There are no differences in creative thinking at age 4.5 years for children of women with epilepsy (WWE) and children of healthy women (HW), but fetal...
First-Seizure Clinic Attendance Cuts Later Health Care Utilization
FRIDAY, May 24, 2024 -- First-seizure clinic (FSC) attendance is associated with reduced rates of subsequent health care utilization, according to a study published online May 23...
AAN Issues Guideline for Use of Antiseizure Meds in People of Childbearing Potential
FRIDAY, May 17, 2024 -- In a practice guideline issued by the American Academy of Neurology, along with the American Epilepsy Society and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.