Pregnancy with epilepsy--a retrospective analysis.

OBJECTIVES

To study the course of epilepsy in pregnancy and to assess the perinatal outcome.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of 219 pregnant patients with epilepsy. The type of epilepsy, drug therapy and seizure frequency were documented. The perinatal outcome of 157 pregnancies with epilepsy was analyzed and compared with that of 471 normal gravidas of similar age and parity.

RESULTS

Generalized seizures occurred in 203 patients, partial seizures in 13 patients and complex partial seizures in three patients. One hundred fifty-two patients (69.41%) were on monotherapy. Carbamazepine was the most common drug (56.58%) used. Ninety-five patients (43.38%) had seizures in the current pregnancy, five of whom had status epilepticus. There was no maternal mortality in status epilepticus. There was no difference in perinatal outcome between the study and control groups. The incidence of congenital malformations was higher in the control group (5/476, 1.05%) than in the study group (1/160, 0.63%). The incidence of low-birth-weight babies was higher in the study group in patients with gestational seizures.

CONCLUSION

The course of pregnancy and perinatal outcome was not altered by epilepsy. There was no increase in the incidence of congenital malformations with the use of monotherapy.