Birth outcomes in women exposed to anticonvulsant drugs

OBJECTIVES: To examine the risk of malformations and fetal growth in women treated with anticonvulsant drugs in North Jutland County, Denmark. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All women treated with anticonvulsant drugs in the county were identified in a Pharmaco-Epidemiological Prescription Database and linked to the Danish Medical Birth Registry and the Regional Hospital Discharge Registry. RESULTS: We identified 235 pregnancies exposed to anticonvulsants around conception and/or during pregnancy as well as 17,259 unexposed pregnancies where the mother had not received any prescription. There was 1 case of neural tube defect among 15 malformations in the exposed cohort. The overall risk of malformations was 2.2 (95% confidence intervals 1.3-3.8). The risk of low birth weight and preterm delivery was 1.5 (95% confidence intervals 0.6-3.7) and 1.6 (95% confidence intervals 1.0-2.5), respectively. CONCLUSION: We found an increased risk of congenital malformations and a tendency to growth retardation in children of women exposed to anticonvulsants.