Risk of Autism after Prenatal Topiramate, Valproate, or Lamotrigine Exposure

Copyright © 2024 Massachusetts Medical Society..

BACKGROUND: Maternal use of valproate during pregnancy has been associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Although most studies of other antiseizure medications have not shown increased risks of these disorders, there are limited and conflicting data regarding the risk of autism spectrum disorder associated with maternal topiramate use.

METHODS: We identified a population-based cohort of pregnant women and their children within two health care utilization databases in the United States, with data from 2000 through 2020. Exposure to specific antiseizure medications was defined on the basis of prescription fills from gestational week 19 until delivery. Children who had been exposed to topiramate during the second half of pregnancy were compared with those unexposed to any antiseizure medication during pregnancy with respect to the risk of autism spectrum disorder. Valproate was used as a positive control, and lamotrigine was used as a negative control.

RESULTS: The estimated cumulative incidence of autism spectrum disorder at 8 years of age was 1.9% for the full population of children who had not been exposed to antiseizure medication (4,199,796 children). With restriction to children born to mothers with epilepsy, the incidence was 4.2% with no exposure to antiseizure medication (8815 children), 6.2% with exposure to topiramate (1030 children), 10.5% with exposure to valproate (800 children), and 4.1% with exposure to lamotrigine (4205 children). Propensity score-adjusted hazard ratios in a comparison with no exposure to antiseizure medication were 0.96 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56 to 1.65) for exposure to topiramate, 2.67 (95% CI, 1.69 to 4.20) for exposure to valproate, and 1.00 (95% CI, 0.69 to 1.46) for exposure to lamotrigine.

CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of autism spectrum disorder was higher among children prenatally exposed to the studied antiseizure medications than in the general population. However, after adjustment for indication and other confounders, the association was substantially attenuated for topiramate and lamotrigine, whereas an increased risk remained for valproate. (Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.).

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2024

Erschienen:

2024

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:390

Enthalten in:

The New England journal of medicine - 390(2024), 12 vom: 21. März, Seite 1069-1079

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Hernández-Díaz, Sonia [VerfasserIn]
Straub, Loreen [VerfasserIn]
Bateman, Brian T [VerfasserIn]
Zhu, Yanmin [VerfasserIn]
Mogun, Helen [VerfasserIn]
Wisner, Katherine L [VerfasserIn]
Gray, Kathryn J [VerfasserIn]
Lester, Barry [VerfasserIn]
McDougle, Christopher J [VerfasserIn]
DiCesare, Elyse [VerfasserIn]
Pennell, Page B [VerfasserIn]
Huybrechts, Krista F [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

0H73WJJ391
614OI1Z5WI
Anticonvulsants
Journal Article
Lamotrigine
Topiramate
U3H27498KS
Valproic Acid

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 22.03.2024

Date Revised 19.04.2024

published: Print

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1056/NEJMoa2309359

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM369973283