Neurodevelopment of babies born to mothers with epilepsy: A prospective observational cohort study



Bromley, Rebecca, Bullen, Philip, Campbell, Ellen, Craig, John, Ingham, Amy, Irwin, Beth, Jackson, Cerain, Kelly, Teresa, Morrow, James, Rushton, Sarah
et al (show 7 more authors) (2023) Neurodevelopment of babies born to mothers with epilepsy: A prospective observational cohort study. EPILEPSIA, 64 (9). pp. 2454-2471.

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Abstract

<h4>Objective</h4>Despite widespread monotherapy use of lamotrigine or levetiracetam during pregnancy, prospectively collected, blinded child development data are still limited. The NaME (Neurodevelopment of Babies Born to Mothers With Epilepsy) Study prospectively recruited a new cohort of women with epilepsy and their offspring for longitudinal follow-up.<h4>Methods</h4>Pregnant women of <21 weeks gestation (n = 401) were recruited from 21 hospitals in the UK. Data collection occurred during pregnancy (recruitment, trimester 3) and at 12 and 24 months of age. The primary outcome was blinded assessment of infant cognitive, language, and motor development on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (3rd edition) at 24 months of age with supplementary parent reporting on the Vinelands Adaptive Behavior Scales (2nd edition).<h4>Results</h4>There were 394 live births, with 277 children (70%) completing the Bayley assessment at 24 months. There was no evidence of an association of prenatal exposure to monotherapy lamotrigine (-.74, SE = 2.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -6.5 to 5.0, p = .80) or levetiracetam (-1.57, SE = 3.1, 95% CI = -4.6 to 7.7, p = .62) with poorer infant cognition, following adjustment for other maternal and child factors in comparison to nonexposed children. Similar results were observed for language and motor scores. There was no evidence of an association between increasing doses of either lamotrigine or levetiracetam. Nor was there evidence that higher dose folic acid supplementation (≥5 mg/day) or convulsive seizure exposure was associated with child development scores. Continued infant exposure to antiseizure medications through breast milk was not associated with poorer outcomes, but the number of women breastfeeding beyond 3 months was low.<h4>Significance</h4>These data are reassuring for infant development following in utero exposure to monotherapy lamotrigine or levetiracetam, but child development is dynamic, and future follow-up is required to rule out later emerging effects.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: antiseizure medication, development, epilepsy, pharmacovigilance, pregnancy
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Population Health
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 05 Sep 2023 14:59
Last Modified: 04 Oct 2023 09:48
DOI: 10.1111/epi.17709
Open Access URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/epi.17709
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URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3172563