title: Intrauterine growth retardation in foetuses of women with epilepsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Various factors may affect intrauterine foetal growth, amongst which conditions such as epilepsy and the use of anti-epileptic drugs (AED) may play a role. This study investigated intrauterine growth of foetuses in women with epilepsy, as compared with controls, and explored whether intrauterine growth was affected by prenatal exposure to AED.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were obtained from prospectively registered data regarding pregnancy and prenatal and perinatal factors in women in Oppland County in Norway. The final analysis included information from 166 mothers with epilepsy and 287 children. The control group consisted of 40,553 pregnancies in women without epilepsy registered in the same database.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significantly higher risk of the ponderal index being below the 10th percentile and infants being small for gestational age (SGA) in the epilepsy group; exposure to AED increased the risk. The frequency of SGA and low ponderal index was highest in Lamotrigine exposed infants. In the AED group, head circumference was significantly smaller among Carbamazepine exposed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Impaired intrauterine growth of foetuses in women with epilepsy was identified. The frequency of SGA and low ponderal index was highest in Lamotrigine exposed infants. The epilepsy group had a higher risk profile for having smaller babies, in being younger at age, lower in body weight and more frequent smokers. However despite these differences, the effects of epilepsy and AED exposure were significant. The ponderal index may be a useful supplement to more established measures assessing intrauterine growth in epilepsy.
authors: Department of Neurology, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Lillehammer, Norway; Department of Neurology, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: anette.farmen@gmail.com.
authors: Anette Huuse
authors: AH
authors: Farmen
authors: Department of Paediatrics, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Lillehammer, Norway.
authors: Jacob
authors: J
authors: Grundt
authors: Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors: Torbjörn
authors: T
authors: Tomson
authors: National Center for Epilepsy, Norway.
authors: Karl Otto
authors: KO
authors: Nakken
authors: Department of Gynaecology, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Lillehammer, Norway.
authors: Jakob
authors: J
authors: Nakling
authors: Department of Paediatrics, Oslo University Hospital Ullevål, Oslo, Norway.
authors: Petter
authors: P
authors: Mowinchel
authors: National Center for Epilepsy, Norway.
authors: Morten
authors: M
authors: Lossius
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001724:Birth Weight; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000139:chemically induced*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants
keywords: Growth restriction; Ponderal index; Pregnancy in epilepsy; Small for gestational age