More fears raised over valproate in pregnancy
One in four women with epilepsy who take sodium valproate during pregnancy will either have a child with a physical congenital abnormality or a child who will suffer significant neurodevelopmental delay, data show.
Latest figures from international epilepsy pregnancy registers suggest
valproate might cause more problems than was previously thought. One
register, the UK/US Neurodevelopmental Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs
Register, is tracking women through pregnancy to birth and then monitoring
the children’s cognitive and behavioural development.
Interim results from 322 pregnancies during which epilepsy treatments
were taken show that 25 per cent of women who took valproate had children
with major abnormalities or developmental problems (P<0.005). This
compares with 14.2 per cent of those taking carbamazepine, 4 per cent
for phenytoin and 2 per cent for lamotrigine.
A UK register — the UK
Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register — is
looking at just physical abnormalities. Data show that valproate is again
the biggest problem. In 2,637 pregnant women, taking valproate was associated
with a 5.9 per cent incidence of a birth defects- compared with 2.1 per
cent with lamotrigine and 2.3 per cent with carbamazepine. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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