Pregnancy outcome of 149 pregnancies in women with epilepsy: Experience from a tertiary care hospital

Experimental Therapeutic Strategies in Epilepsies Using Anti-Seizure Medications

Epilepsies are among the most common neurological problems. The disease burden in patients with epilepsy is significantly high, and epilepsy has a huge negative impact on patients' quality of life with epilepsy and their families. Anti-seizure medications are the mainstay treatment in patients with epilepsy, and around 70% of patients will ultimately control with a combination of at least two appropriately selected anti-seizure medications. However, in one-third of patients, seizures are resistant to drugs, and other measures will be needed. The primary goal in using experimental therapeutic medication strategies in patients with epilepsy is to prevent recurrent seizures and reduce the rate of traumatic events that may occur during seizures. So far, various treatments using medications have been offered for patients with epilepsies, which have been classified according to the type of epilepsy, the effectiveness of the medications, and the adverse effects. Medications such as Levetiracetam, valproic acid, and lamotrigine are at the forefront of these patients' treatment. Epilepsy surgery, neuro-stimulation, and the ketogenic diet are the main measures in patients with medication-resistant epilepsies. In this paper, we will review the therapeutic approach using anti-seizure medications in patients with epilepsy. However, it should be noted that some of these patients still do not respond to existing treatments; therefore, the limited ability of current therapies has fueled research efforts for the development of novel treatment strategies. Thus, it seems that in addition to surgical measures, we should look for more specific agents that have less adverse events and have a greater effect in stopping seizures.

Obstetric outcomes in pregnant women with seizure disorder: A hospital-based, longitudinal study

Objective:

To study the association of seizure disorder with adverse obstetric outcome in terms of maternal and perinatal complications.

Materials and Methods:

This longitudinal study was conducted at Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi over 15 months among women attending the antenatal clinic (ANC) outpatient department. Fifty pregnant women with seizure disorder with their first ANC visit before 28 weeks were recruited as the case group, excluding patients with eclampsia. The control group included 120 matched healthy pregnant women. After obtaining informed consent, subjects were recruited and followed till one week postpartum and obstetric outcomes were analyzed.

Results:

Women with seizure disorder had significantly increased incidence of severe preeclampsia (cases =8%, controls =0%, p<0.001), antepartum hemorrhage (cases =4%, controls =0%, p<0.001), babies with early neonatal complications such as asphyxia (cases =4.1%, controls =0.5%, p=0.04), respiratory distress (cases =14.5%, controls =5.1%, p=0.02), necrotizing enterocolitis (cases =2.0%, controls =0%, p=0.04), early neonatal death (cases =2.0%, controls =0%, p=0.04) and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit admission (cases =20.8%, controls =8.6%, p<0.001) when compared with women without seizure disorder. No significant difference was observed in rates of induction of labor, cesarean section, abortion, congenital anomalies in babies, still births. Conclusion: Women with seizure disorder are at higher risk of hypertensive disorders, antepartum hemorrhage, and early neonatal complications.

Conclusion:

Women with seizure disorder are at higher risk of hypertensive disorders, antepartum hemorrhage, and early neonatal complications. Appropriate obstetric, pediatric and neurology care is required during preconception, pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum.

The impact of maternal epilepsy on delivery and neonatal outcomes

PURPOSE

Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder that may complicate reproductive health. Our aim in this study was to provide prospective ascertainment of obstetric and neonatal outcomes in women with epilepsy and investigate whether the risk of pregnancy, delivery, and neonatal complications differed between women with epilepsy and women without epilepsy.

METHODS

Pregnant women with epilepsy and women without epilepsy (control group) were prospectively evaluated during the years 2013-2018. They were regularly followed by a neurologist and obstetrician until the end of pregnancy.

RESULTS

Delivery and perinatal outcomes were compared between 112 women diagnosed with epilepsy and 277 women without epilepsy. Epilepsy was a significant risk factor for preterm delivery, cesarean section, fetal hypoxia, and Apgar score ≤ 7 at 5 min in offspring (odds ratio (OR) = 2.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-7.76; OR = 5.61, 95% CI 3.44-9.14; OR = 1.81, 95% CI 1.08-3.04; OR = 8.12, 95% CI 4.04-16.35, respectively). Seizures during pregnancy had influence on the preference of cesarean section as a mode of delivery (ОR = 3.39; 95% CI 1.40-8.17). The rate of perinatal hypoxia was significantly higher in children born by cesarean section (ОR = 2.84; 95% CI 1.04-7.76). There was no significant difference between women with epilepsy and controls in malformation rate.

CONCLUSIONS

Women with epilepsy had an increased risk of pregnancy and delivery complications. Cesarean section was associated with an increased risk of complications in offspring.

Advances in Epidemiological Methods and Utilisation of Large Databases: A Methodological Review of Observational Studies on Central Nervous System Drug Use in Pregnancy and Central Nervous System Outcomes in Children

INTRODUCTION

Studies have used various epidemiological approaches to study associations between central nervous system (CNS) drug use in pregnancy and CNS outcomes in children. Studies have generally focused on clinical adverse effects, whereas variations in methodologies have not received sufficient attention.

OBJECTIVE

Our objective was to review the methodological characteristics of existing studies to identify any limitations and recommend further research.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was conducted on observational studies listed in PubMed from 1 January 1946 to 21 September 2017. Following independent screening and data extraction, we conducted a review addressing the trends of relevant studies, differences between various data sources, and methods used to address bias and confounders; we also conducted statistical analyses.

RESULTS

In total, 111 observational studies, 25 case-control studies, and 86 cohort studies were included in the review. Publications dating from 1978 to 2006 mainly focused on antiepileptic drugs, but research on antidepressants increased from 2007 onwards. Only one study focused on antipsychotic use during pregnancy. A total of 46 studies obtained data from an administrative database/registry, 20 from ad hoc disease registries, and 41 from ad hoc clinical samples. Most studies (58%) adjusted the confounding factors using general adjustment, whereas only a few studies used advanced methods such as sibling-matched models and propensity score methods; 42 articles used univariate analyses and 69 conducted multivariable regression analyses.

CONCLUSION

Multiple factors, including different study designs and data sources, have led to inconsistent findings in associations between CNS drug use in pregnancy and CNS outcomes in children. Researchers should allow for study designs with clearly defined exposure periods, at the very least in trimesters, and use advanced confounding adjustment methodology to increase the accuracy of the findings.

[Modern aspects of antiepileptic therapy during pregnancy]

This review of literature is devoted to contemporary issues of antiepileptic therapy in pregnancy, with identifying the most effective drug according to publications from 2006 to 2016 (PUBMED, MEDline, The Cochrane Lb.). The review presents the current published data on the incidence of seizures in pregnant women, specificity of therapy with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), frequency of fetal malformations in pregnant women taking AEDs regularly and their dependence on the frequency, dosage and nature of therapy. The authors studied and analyzed the literature on antiepileptic therapy with AED for the last ten years and selected AED with the least teratogenic effect and less side-effects. Lamotrigine, phenytoin, carbamazepine, valproic acid, phenobarbital were studied. In addition to classic AEDs, new AEDs (vigabatrin, gabapentin, topiramate, tiagabine, oxcarbazepine, levetiracetam, pregabalin) were investigated. Over the past decade, the use of new-generation AEDs has increased. It has been found that the risk of birth defects in children is associated with high doses of drugs and polytherapy compared to monotherapy. New data of recent studies showed the effect of psychotropic drugs on the fetus allowing to assess the 'risk/benefit' ratio and develop recommendations on rational pharmacotherapy of epilepsy in pregnancy.