Medications for epilepsy during pregnancy related to later behavioral problems in children

A new study has revealed an increased risk of behavioral problems in children of epileptic mothers who have taken standard antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy.

in the L & # 39; epilepsy In the study, behavioral questionnaires were completed for 181 children aged 6 to 7, and for most children, both parents completed a behavioral questionnaire.

According to parental badessments, children exposed to valproate were the most affected, but parents of children exposed to carbamzepine, lamotrigine and levetiracetam also reported behavioral problems.

"It is important to monitor the children of mothers with epilepsy and to consider other possible factors, such as family factors, that can be a starting point for interventions to help parents cope. to children's behavior problems, or even to reduce them, "said lead author Yfke Huber Mollema, MsC, Stichting Epilepsy Instellingen Nederland (SEIN) and the University of Amsterdam.