Efficacy of medical care of epileptic pregnant women based on the rate of congenital abnormalities in their offspring.

The objective of the present study was to check the efficacy of progress in the medical care of epileptic pregnant women on the basis of the reduction of different congenital abnormalities (CAs) in their offspring. First, the prevalence of medically recorded epilepsy was compared in 95 pregnant women who later had offspring with different CAs (case group) and 90 pregnant women who later delivered newborn infants without CA (control group) and matched to cases in the Hungarian Case-Control Surveillance System of Congenital Abnormalities, 1980-1996. Second, the rate of different CAs was compared in the offspring of epileptic pregnant women between 1980 and 1989 and 1990-1996. Cleft lip with or without cleft palate, cleft palate, cardiovascular CAs, oesophageal atresia/stenosis, hypospadias and multiple CAs showed a higher risk in the offspring of pregnant women with epilepsy treated with different antiepileptic drugs, explained mainly by polytherapy. There was no higher risk for total CAs after monotherapy. There was no significantly lower rate of total CAs in the offspring of epileptic pregnant women during the second period of the study. The efficacy of special medical care of epileptic pregnant women was not shown on the basis of decrease in the rate of CAs in the offspring of epileptic pregnant women.