Birth outcomes in women exposed to anticonvulsant drugs.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the risk of malformations and fetal growth in women treated with anticonvulsant drugs in North Jutland County, Denmark.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

All women treated with anticonvulsant drugs in the county were identified in a Pharmaco-Epidemiological Prescription Database and linked to the Danish Medical Birth Registry and the Regional Hospital Discharge Registry.

RESULTS

We identified 235 pregnancies exposed to anticonvulsants around conception and/or during pregnancy as well as 17,259 unexposed pregnancies where the mother had not received any prescription. There was 1 case of neural tube defect among 15 malformations in the exposed cohort. The overall risk of malformations was 2.2 (95% confidence intervals 1.3-3.8). The risk of low birth weight and preterm delivery was 1.5 (95% confidence intervals 0.6-3.7) and 1.6 (95% confidence intervals 1.0-2.5), respectively.

CONCLUSION

We found an increased risk of congenital malformations and a tendency to growth retardation in children of women exposed to anticonvulsants.