Link Between Antiseizure Drug Valproic Acid and Autism Risk

Antiseizure medication in pregnancy is associated with twice the risk of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children, said study.

Epileptic women who take antiseizure drug valproic acid during pregnancy are at more than double the risk of having children with autism spectrum disorder and nearly double the risk of having children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), revealed study published in the online issue of Neurology® , the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

"Clinical recommendations warn against the use of valproic acid in pregnancy if possible due to associations with birth defects and other health conditions in children, but valproic acid is also a first-line treatment for generalized seizures and may be the best option for optimal seizure control," said study author Brian D'Onofrio, Ph.D., of Indiana University in Bloomington. "

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‘Women who reported using valproic acid during the first trimester had a 2.3 times increased risk of having children diagnosed with autism and a 1.7 times increased risk of children diagnosed with ADHD than women who reported using no antiseizure medications.’

"We looked at three medications and found that women who reported using valproic acid in the first three months of pregnancy had more than twice the risk of their children having autism and nearly twice the risk of their children having ADHD than women with epilepsy who were not taking any antiseizure drugs during pregnancy."

14,614 children born to women with epilepsy between 1996 and 2011 were considered for the study. About 23% of those women reported using the antiseizure drug in their first trimester of pregnancy.

The three most used antiseizure medications included carbamazepine, taken by 10% of the women, lamotrigine, taken by 7% of the women, and valproic acid, taken by 5% of the women.

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Using medical records, the researchers later discovered which kids were diagnosed with ADHD or autism, respectively.

36 out of 699 kids exposed to valproic acid developed autism by the age of 10 years compared to 154 out 11,298, who were not exposed to any antiseizure medication during gestation.

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54 out of 699 children whose mothers took valproic acid during their pregnancies developed ADHD by the age of 10, compared to 251 out of 11,298 who were not exposed.

Women who took lamotrigine and carbamazepine had no increased risk of their children developing autism or ADHD.

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The growing body of evidence suggests certain antiseizure medications may be safer than others during pregnancy.

Women who use antiseizure medications, particularly valproic acid, should weigh potential harm to the fetus and ongoing seizure management.

Source-Medindia