Adaptive behaviour in children exposed to topiramate in the womb: an observational cohort study

R. Knight, J Craig, Beth Irwin, A. Wittkowski, R.L. Bromley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Objective: Many women with epilepsy need to continue anti-seizure medications (ASMs) throughout pregnancy. The current study investigated adaptive behaviour outcomes in children exposed to topiramate in the womb. Method: An observational, cross-sectional study was designed, recruiting mother-child-pairs from the UK Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register (UKEPR). Health, developmental histories and Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scale-Third Edition (VABS-III) assessments were administered via telephone by a blinded researcher, supplemented with prospectively collected pregnancy and medication information. Topiramate monotherapy exposed children were compared to VABS-III normative data as recruitment was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Thirty-four women with epilepsy from 135 (25%) initially agreed to participate in the study, of whom 26 women completed telephone interviews about their children (n = 28). Children ranged from 2.5 to 17 years of age at the time of assessment. Six topiramate-exposed children were born small for gestational age, and there were significant associations between birthweight, dose and VABS-III scores. Significantly lower scores were observed in topiramate-exposed children (n = 21) with a significant dose-response relationship established after adjustment for parental educational level. Daily mean dosage was 280.21 mg, with high dosages of topiramate associated with a 12-point reduction in VABS-III scores. Additionally, four topiramate-exposed children (19.05%) had diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder, which was significantly higher than UK prevalence rates (1.1%). Conclusions: The findings of poorer adaptive behaviour, higher incidence of ASD and associations with birth weight are of concern and require further validation and replication using larger prospectively-recruited samples and comparator cohorts. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)56-64
Number of pages9
JournalSeizure
Volume105
Early online date13 Jan 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2023

Keywords

  • Antiseizure medications
  • Autism
  • Epilepsy
  • Neurodevelopment
  • Pregnancy
  • Topiramate

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