Antiepileptic drugs and pregnancy

Abdelbaset Elbadri, Hadeel (2020-03-12)

Epilepsy is one of the most common serious brain disorders, can occur at all ages, and have many possible presentations and causes[1] Epilepsy is not a single entity but, instead, an assortment of different seizure types and syndromes originating from several mechanisms that have in common the sudden, excessive, and synchronous discharge of cerebral neurons. This abnormal electrical activity may result in a variety of events, including loss of consciousness, abnormal movements, atypical or odd behavior, or distorted perceptions that are of limited duration but recur if untreated [1] It is important to correctly classify seizures to determine appropriate treatment. Seizures have been categorized by site of origin, etiology, electrophysiologic correlation, and clinical presentation[2]

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Background : Epilepsy is a central nervous system (neurological) disorder in which brain activity becomes abnormal, causing seizures or periods of unusual behavior, sensations, and sometimes loss of awareness. Methods and materials : Retrospective population based cohort study using administrative databases in New Zealand between 2008 and 2014. Women who had been pregnant were identified by the National Minimum Dataset and were linked to the Pharmaceutical Collection to obtain information on use of AEDs. Women aged between 15 and 45 years dispensed AEDs were identified in the Pharmaceutical Collection. Results : There was an increase in the number of women of child-bearing potential prescribed AEDs, from 9 women per 1000 women in 2008 to 11.4 women per 1000 women in 2014. Women who had been dispensed an AED had an increased rate of spontaneous abortion 8.97 spontaneous abortions per 100 pregnancies, compared with, 6.31 per 100 pregnancies (risk ratio 1.42, 95% CI 1.40 to 1.44), and a decreased rate of pregnancy termination, 18.51 terminations per 100 pregnancies compared with 19.58 per 100 pregnancies (risk ratio 1.95, 95% CI 0.94–0.96)

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Attribution 3.0 United States
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