Exposure to Antiepileptic Drugs as a Fetus Can Lead to Developmental Abnormalities and Autism

In the early view issue of the journal Epilepsia, Drs. Veiby and colleagues from Norway present an important population-based study assessing the risks of congenital malformations on children and infants born to mothers who are taking antiepileptic drugs.

From 1999 through December 2008, 333 children of mothers who were pregnant and had been on antiepileptic drugs were evaluated. They found the following:

• At 36 months, there was an increased risk of abnormal scores for gross motor skills and sentence skills, as well as autistic traits.

• Autistic traits and abnormal gross motor skills manifested as early as 18 months.

• The drug-exposed children also had increased risk of congenital malformations.

• Children born to women with epilepsy who did not use antiepileptic drugs had no increased risk.

• Children who had a father with epilepsy generally scored within the normal range.

The authors concluded the following:

• Exposure to antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy is associated with abnormal development at 18 and 36 months of age.

• Exposure to valproate, lamotrigine, carbamazepine or multiple antiepileptic drugs was associated with adverse outcome within different developmental domains.