Authors : Sneha Singh, Sneha Singh, Gomathy E, Gomathy E
DOI : 10.18231/j.ijogr.2020.030
Volume : 7
Issue : 1
Year : 2020
Page No : 136-138
Introduction: Epilepsy is most common major neurological complication encounterd in pregnancy. The
etiology of seizures covers a wide range of diseases, vascular insults,infectious sequelae, malignant
processes and primary central nervous dysfunction. A wide range of obstetric complications have been
reported including spontaneous abortion , preterm labour, stillbirth, neonatal death, hemorrhagic disease of
the newborn; low apgar and low birth weight. The incidence of malformations increase from 2.9% in the
non drug user group to 3.7% in patient on monotherapy and 6.6% in patients on polytherapy.
Objectives: To study the maternal and perinatal outcome in pregnant women with epilepsy on polytherapy.
Materials and Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted in R.L. Jalappa Hospital
Kolar India over a period of 6 months (December 2017-june2018). Five pregnant women with epilepsy
attending the antenatal clinic or admitted in labour ward in a tertiary care hospital taking two or more
antiepileptic drugs were evaluated.
Conclusion: Cases included in this study concludes that, despite the increased risks of pregnancy in woman
with epilepsy, with appropriate clinical management with newer drugs, more than 90 percent woman with
epilepsy can have successful pregnancies and better neonatal outcome. Moreover because of prepregnancy
planning, counselling and optimisation of antiepileptic drug regimens and use of preconception folic acid,
pregnancy outcome have become better.
A higher teratogenic potential was confirmed for traditional antiepileptic drugs, particularly Valproate.
Lower rates of congenital malformations were found for levetiracetam(1.7%) than in association with VPA
(6.9%).
Keywords: Epilepsy, Antiepileptic drugs, Teratogenicity.