Chen D, et al. – A meta–analysis was conducted to ascertain the impact of epilepsy amid pregnancy on fetal growth restriction (FGR). Albeit modest bias cannot be avoided, this meta–analysis showed that epilepsy participates in fetal development as an unfavorable factor, and antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) appeared to be useless in reducing the occurrence rate of FGR.

Methods

• For this study, they conducted a systematic review and meta–analysis.
• In this study, they searched BIOSIS, Medline, Embase, and PubMed databases between January 2000 and January 2016.
• Without imposing language or regional restrictions, referenced articles were selected.

Results

• Total 684 citations were included from 11 studies in the final analysis.
• Estimated risk of FGR was 1.28–fold higher in epileptic pregnant women than in non–epileptic women [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.09–1.50, p < 0.05].
• Given the course of previous studies, hierarchical analysis of pregnant women who use antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) was conducted.
• Outcomes demonstrate that FGR rate is significantly increased even if AEDs were taken [odds ratio 1.26, 95% CI 1.13–1.41, p < 0.05].