The use of parent-completed questionnaires to investigate developmental outcomes in large populations of children exposed to antiseizure medications in pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to assess the utility of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3rd Edition (ASQ-3) and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-2nd Edition (VABS-II) as neurodevelopmental screening tools for infants exposed to antiseizure medications in utero, and to examine their suitability for use in large-population signal generation initiatives. METHODS: Participants were women with epilepsy who were recruited from 21 hospitals in England and Northern Ireland during pregnancy between 2014 and 2016. Offspring were assessed at 24 months old using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-3rd Edition (BSID-III), the VABS-II, and the ASQ-3 (n = 223). The sensitivity and specificity of the ASQ-3 and VABS-II to identify developmental delay at 24 months were examined, using the BSID-III to define cases. RESULTS: The ASQ-3 identified 65 children (29.1%) as at risk of developmental delay at 24 months using standard referral criteria. Using a categorical approach and standard referral criteria to identify delay in the ASQ-3 and BSID-III at 24 months, the ASQ-3 showed excellent sensitivity (90.9%) and moderate specificity (74.1%). Utilizing different cut-points resulted in improved properties and may be preferred in certain contexts. The VABS-II exhibited the strongest psychometric properties when borderline impairment (>1 SD below the mean) was compared to BSID-III referral data (sensitivity = 100.0%, specificity = 96.6%). SIGNIFICANCE: Both the ASQ-3 and VABS-II have good psychometric properties in a sample of children exposed to antiseizure medications when the purpose is the identification of at-risk groups. These findings identify the ASQ-3 as a measure that could be used effectively as part of a tiered surveillance system for teratogenic exposure by identifying a subset of individuals for more detailed investigations. Although the VABS-II has excellent psychometric properties, it is more labor-intensive for both the research team and participants and is available in fewer languages than the ASQ-3.

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

OBJECTIVE: 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. METHODS: 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). RESULTS: 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. SIGNIFICANCE: 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.

Changing antiepilepsy drug-prescribing trends in women with epilepsy in the UK and Ireland and the impact on major congenital malformations.

OBJECTIVES: After 20 years of data collection, pregnancy registers have informed prescribing practice. Various populations show trends for a reduction in valproate prescribing, which is associated with an increased risk of anatomical teratogenesis and neurodevelopmental effects in those exposed in utero. Our aim was to determine if any shifts in prescribing trends have occurred in the UK and Ireland Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register cohort and to assess if there had been any change in the overall major congenital malformation (MCM) rate over time. METHODS: The UK and Ireland Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register, a prospective, observational, registration and follow-up study established in 1996, was used to determine the changes in antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) utilised during pregnancy and the MCM rate between 1996 and 2016. Linear regression analysis was used to assess changes in AED utilisation, and Poisson regression was used for the analysis of trends in the MCM rates. RESULTS: Outcome data for 9247 pregnancies showed a stable percentage of monotherapy to polytherapy prescribing habits over time. After Bonferroni correction, statistically significant (p<0.003) changes were found in monotherapy prescribing with increases in lamotrigine and levetiracetam and decreases in valproate and carbamazepine use. Between 1996 and 2016, the total MCM rate showed a 2.1% reduction per year (incidence risk ratio 0.979 (95% CIs 0.956 to 1.002) but Poisson regression analysis showed that this was not statistically significant p=0.08). CONCLUSION: Significant changes are seen in the prescribing habits in this cohort over 20 years, but a statistically significant change in the MCM rate was not detected. This work should be replicated on a larger scale to determine if significant changes are occurring in the MCM rate, which would allow a robust economic estimate of the benefits of improvements in prescribing practice and the personal effect of such changes.

Cognition in school-age children exposed to levetiracetam, topiramate, or sodium valproate.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of prenatal exposure to monotherapy levetiracetam, topiramate, and valproate on child cognitive functioning. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional observational study. Children exposed to monotherapy levetiracetam (n = 42), topiramate (n = 27), or valproate (n = 47) and a group of children born to women who had untreated epilepsy (n = 55) were enrolled retrospectively from the UK Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register. Assessor-blinded neuropsychological assessments were conducted between 5 and 9 years of age. Information was collected on demographic and health variables and adjusted for in multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: In the adjusted analyses, prenatal exposure to levetiracetam and topiramate were not found to be associated with reductions in child cognitive abilities, and adverse outcomes were not associated with increasing dose. Increasing dose of valproate, however, was associated with poorer full-scale IQ (-10.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] -16.3 to -5.0, p < 0.001), verbal abilities (-11.2, 95% CI -16.8 to -5.5, p < 0.001), nonverbal abilities (-11.1, 95% CI -17.3 to -4.9, p < 0.001), and expressive language ability (-2.3, 95% CI -3.4 to -1.6, p < 0.001). Comparisons across medications revealed poorer performance for children exposed to higher doses of valproate in comparison to children exposed to higher doses of levetiracetam or topiramate. CONCLUSIONS: Preconception counseling should include discussion of neurodevelopmental outcomes for specific treatments and their doses and women should be made aware of the limited nature of the evidence base for newer antiepileptic drugs.

In utero exposure to valproate increases the risk of isolated cleft palate.

INTRODUCTION: Orofacial clefting (OFC) has been described in infants exposed to valproic acid (VPA) prenatally, but often no distinction is made between cleft lip and palate (CLP) and isolated cleft palate (ICP). This distinction is important as these conditions have different management implications and the distinction has implications too for understanding the teratogenic mechanisms. METHODS: We searched EMBASE, Medline and Web of Science for observational studies describing OFC in association with VPA exposure. Searches for similarly exposed patients referred to a regional genetic centre and those recorded in the UK Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register (UKEPR) were undertaken. Cleft type and, where available, VPA doses prescribed were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 4459 cases of VPA exposure were reported in the literature in nine separate studies with 50 cases of OFC, the majority of which did not differentiate the cleft type. Eight patients ascertained through the regional genetic centre had ICP. Thirteen cases of OFC occurred in 1282 VPA monotherapy-exposed pregnancies in the UKEPR; nine had ICP and four had CLP, representing an 11.3-fold and 3.5-fold increase risk in ICP and CLP, respectively, over general population risk. Doses ranged from 200 to 2500 mg VPA daily with 73% of monotherapy ICP cases from the local cohort and UKEPR occurring at doses over 1000 mg. CONCLUSION: ICP is the predominant cleft type seen in prenatal VPA exposure. Parents should be counselled appropriately and infants should undergo review after delivery for ICP. Pregnancy registers collecting information on congenital anomalies should make the distinction between CLP and ICP as the risk differs across the two conditions.

Levetiracetam in pregnancy: results from the UK and Ireland epilepsy and pregnancy registers.

OBJECTIVES: Levetiracetam is a broad-spectrum antiepileptic drug (AED) which is currently licensed in the United States and the United Kingdom and Ireland for use as adjunctive treatment of focal-onset seizures and myoclonic seizures or generalized tonic-clonic seizures, occurring as part of generalized epilepsy syndromes. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, it is also licensed as monotherapy treatment for focal-onset seizures. Previous small studies have suggested a low risk for major congenital malformations (MCM) with levetiracetam use in pregnancy. METHODS: The UK and Ireland Epilepsy and Pregnancy Registers are prospective, observational registration and follow-up studies that were set up to determine the relative safety of all AEDs taken in pregnancy. Here we report our combined results for first-trimester exposures to levetiracetam from October 2000 to August 2011. RESULTS: Outcome data were available for 671 pregnancies. Of these, 304 had been exposed to levetiracetam in monotherapy, and 367 had been exposed to levetiracetam in combination with at least one other AED. There were 2 MCM in the monotherapy group (0.70%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.19%-2.51%) and 19 in the polytherapy group 5.56% (3.54%­8.56%) [corrected]. The MCM rate in the polytherapy group varied by AED regimen, with lower rates when levetiracetam was given with lamotrigine (1.77%; 95% CI 0.49%-6.22%) than when given with valproate (6.90%; 95% CI 1.91%-21.96%) or carbamazepine (9.38%; 95% CI 4.37%-18.98%). CONCLUSION: This study, in a meaningful number of exposed pregnancies, confirms a low risk for MCM with levetiracetam monotherapy use in pregnancy. MCM risk is higher when levetiracetam is taken as part of a polytherapy regimen, although further work is required to determine the risks of particular combinations. With respect to MCM, levetiracetam taken in monotherapy can be considered a safer alternative to valproate for women with epilepsy of childbearing age.

Recurrence risk of congenital malformations in infants exposed to antiepileptic drugs in utero.

PURPOSE: Use of antiepileptic drugs in pregnancy is associated with congenital malformations and developmental delay. Previous studies have suggested that women who have had one child with a congenital malformation are at increased risk of having other children with malformations. We sought to confirm the magnitude of risk in a large cohort drawn from the United Kingdom Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register. METHODS: The United Kingdom Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register is a prospective, observational registration and follow-up study set up to determine the relative safety of antiepileptic drugs in pregnancy. We have extracted data for those women who prospectively registered more than one pregnancy and calculated the recurrence risks for fetal malformations. KEY FINDINGS: Outcome data were available for 1,534 pregnancies born to 719 mothers. For women whose first child had a congenital malformation there was a 16.8% risk of having another child with a congenital malformation, compared with 9.8% for women whose first child did not have a malformation (relative risk 1.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-2.96). The risk for recurrence was 50% for women who had had two previous children with a congenital malformation. There was a trend toward a higher risk for recurrent malformations in pregnancies exposed to valproate (21.9%, relative risk 1.47, 95% CI 0.68-3.20) and topiramate (50%, relative risk 4.50, 95% CI 0.97-20.82), but not for other drugs such as carbamazepine and lamotrigine. Recurrence risks were also higher for pregnancies exposed to polytherapy regimens and for those where the dose of antiepileptic drug treatment had been increased after the first pregnancy. SIGNIFICANCE: Women who have had a child with a malformation are at increased risk of having other children with malformations. This is in keeping with previous reports that have suggested that genetic influences may be one of the factors determining the teratogenic risk of antiepileptic drugs.