AEDs or no AEDs during pregnancy? That is the question

Health informatics can help with the answer

Lacey and colleagues take the innovative approach of using linkage of routine-collected health and national education data to carry out a matched case–control study to assess educational attainment of children born to mothers with epilepsy1. Their main finding was in utero exposure to antiepileptic drugs (AED) in combination, or sodium valproate alone, is associated with a significant decrease in attainment in national educational tests for 7-year-old children compared with both the matched control group and the all-Wales national average. Arguably, at first glance, this may not seem like news per se but there are several points that make it highly noteworthy.

Previous studies have shown that aside from the congenital malformations recognisable at birth, later identifiable lower IQ, more behavioural problems and greater risk of psychological/psychiatric disorders are associated with in utero AED use.2–4 However,...

from #ORL-AlexandrosSfakianakis via ola Kala on Inoreader https://ift.tt/2pK7utJ