Lagrange Andre H
Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232-8552, USA.
Nat Clin Pract Neurol. 2009 Jan;5(1):16-7. doi: 10.1038/ncpneuro0970.
Low folate levels are associated with an increased risk of spontaneous abortion and congenital malformations. Up to half of all pregnancies are unplanned, so official guidelines in a number of countries, including the US, recommend folic acid supplementation for all women who might become pregnant, before they actually start planning to have children. Children born to women who are taking antiepileptic medications, many of which antagonize folate action, are at an increased risk of birth defects. This article highlights a study by Pittschieler et al. that has suggested that supplementation with folic acid might be particularly important in women with epilepsy who are taking antiepileptic medications--especially valproate. However, the sample size in the study was too small to determine the optimum dose or to detect whether folic acid protects against birth defects. Nonetheless, it is clear that all women of reproductive age, especially those taking certain antiepileptic medications, should take folic acid supplements.
叶酸水平低与自然流产和先天性畸形的风险增加有关。所有怀孕中有多达一半是意外怀孕，因此包括美国在内的一些国家的官方指南建议，所有可能怀孕的女性在实际开始计划要孩子之前补充叶酸。服用抗癫痫药物的女性所生的孩子，其中许多药物会拮抗叶酸的作用，出现出生缺陷的风险会增加。本文重点介绍了皮特舍尔等人的一项研究，该研究表明，对于服用抗癫痫药物（尤其是丙戊酸盐）的癫痫女性，补充叶酸可能特别重要。然而，该研究的样本量太小，无法确定最佳剂量或检测叶酸是否能预防出生缺陷。尽管如此，很明显，所有育龄女性，尤其是那些服用某些抗癫痫药物的女性，都应该服用叶酸补充剂。
