Journal article

Antiepileptic drugs, foetal malformations and spontaneous abortions

FJE Vajda, TJ O'Brien, JE Graham, AA Hitchcock, CM Lander, MJ Eadie

Acta Neurologica Scandinavica | WILEY | Published : 2017

Open access

Abstract

Background: Some recent studies have found an association between foetal malformations in earlier antiepileptic drug (AED)-exposed pregnancies and an increased hazard of such malformations in subsequent pregnancies. We investigated this matter further, and also considered the possible role of spontaneous abortions in previous pregnancies, in this situation. Methods: Analysis of foetal malformation data for current and previous pregnancies in women taking AEDs and women with untreated epilepsy in the Australian Register of Antiepileptic Drugs in Pregnancy (APR) from 1999 to late 2014. Results: Antiepileptic drug-treated women with either a malformed foetus or a spontaneous abortion in their p..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Grants

Funding Acknowledgements

We thank professional and lay colleagues for referring patients to the APR, and the Scientific Advisory Board and the Ethical Research Committees of St. Vincent's Hospital, Monash Medical Centre, the Royal Melbourne Hospital and other institutions for continuing ethics oversight of the APR. Over the years the Epilepsy Society of Australia, The Royal Melbourne Hospital Neuroscience Foundation, Epilepsy Australia, the NHMRC and the pharmaceutical companies Sanofi-Aventis, UCB Pharma, Janssen-Cilag, Novartis, Sci-Gen, Eisai and Genzyme have provided financial assistance to help support the Register.