Journal article

Folic acid dose, valproate, and fetal malformations

Frank JE Vajda, Terence J O'Brien, Janet E Graham, Alison A Hitchcock, Piero Perucca, Cecilie M Lander, Mervyn J Eadie

EPILEPSY & BEHAVIOR | ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE | Published : 2021

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there is a relationship between folic acid dose and the degree of protection against valproate-associated and other antiepileptic drug (AED)-associated fetal structural malformations in women with AED-treated epilepsy. METHODS: Statistical analysis of data from the Raoul Wallenberg Australian Register of Antiepileptic Drugs in Pregnancy involving 2104 folic acid-treated pregnancies in women with epilepsy. RESULTS: Multiple variable logistic regression failed to demonstrate any statistically significant effect of folic acid dosage in reducing overall fetal malformation rates in women taking folic acid either before and during pregnancy (P = 0.640) or during ear..

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Grants

Funding Acknowledgements

We wish to thank medical, other professional and lay colleagues for referring patients to the APR, and the members of the APR's Scientific Advisory Board. The Research Ethics Committees of St. Vincent's Hospital, Monash Medical Centre, the Royal Melbourne Hospital and other institutions are thanked for continuing ethics oversight of the APR during its existence. Over the years, The Epilepsy Society of Australia, The Royal Melbourne Hospital Neuroscience Foundation, Epilepsy Australia, Epilepsy Action, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council and the pharmaceutical companies Sanofi-Aventis, UCB Pharma, JanssenCilag, Novartis, Sci-Gen, Eisai and Genzyme have provided financial support for the Register.