Table 1. Characteristics of study population and mean daily dose by antiepileptic drug.
| Characteristic | Lamotrigine | Carbamazepine | Pregabalin | Levetiracetam | Valproic acid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of exposed women | 1,757 | 1,529 | 542 | 245 | 809 |
| Number of exposed infants | 2,254 | 2,095 | 562 | 307 | 1,137 |
| Age at delivery (years) | |||||
| 24 or less | 427 (18.9%) | 249 (11.9%) | 119 (21.2%) | 52 (16.9%) | 206 (18.1%) |
| 25–29 | 691 (30.7%) | 626 (29.9%) | 160 (28.5%) | 92 (30.0%) | 350 (30.8%) |
| 30–34 | 721 (32.0%) | 728 (34.7%) | 151 (26.9%) | 114 (37.1%) | 374 (32.9%) |
| 35 or more | 415 (18.4%) | 492 (23.5%) | 132 (23.5%) | 49 (16.0%) | 207 (18.2%) |
| Mother’s country of origin | |||||
| Nordic countries | 2,040 (90.5%) | 1,812 (86.5%) | 486 (86.5%) | 257 (83.7%) | 995 (87.5%) |
| Other European countries | 86 (3.8%) | 72 (3.4%) | 21 (3.7%) | 16 (5.2%) | 59 (5.2%) |
| Asia | 82 (3.6%) | 128 (6.1%) | 39 (6.9%) | 24 (7.8%) | 60 (5.3%) |
| Others | 46 (2.0%) | 83 (4.0%) | 16 (2.8%) | 10 (3.3%) | 23 (2.0%) |
| Maternal education | |||||
| Up to 12 years | 1,396 (61.9%) | 1,340 (64.0%) | 461 (82.0%) | 182 (59.3%) | 759 (66.8%) |
| 13 years or more | 826 (36.6%) | 717 (34.2%) | 96 (17.1%) | 115 (37.5%) | 364 (32.0%) |
| No information | 32 (1.4%) | 38 (1.8%) | 5 (0.9%) | 10 (3.3%) | 14 (1.2%) |
| Maternal marital status | |||||
| Lives with child´s father | 1,926 (85.4%) | 1,854 (88.5%) | 382 (68.0%) | 275 (89.6%) | 1,004 (88.3%) |
| Does not live with child´s father | 253 (11.2%) | 184 (8.8%) | 157 (27.9%) | 25 (8.1%) | 93 (8.2%) |
| No information | 75 (3.3%) | 57 (2.7%) | 23 (4.1%) | 7 (2.3%) | 40 (3.5%) |
| Early pregnancy BMI (kg/m2) | |||||
| Less than 18.5 | 44 (2.0%) | 33 (1.6%) | 9 (1.6%) | 8 (2.6%) | 22 (1.9%) |
| 18.5 to less than 25 | 1,097 (48.7%) | 1,066 (50.9%) | 243 (43.2%) | 174 (56.7%) | 513 (45.1%) |
| 25 to less than 30 | 595 (26.4%) | 500 (23.9%) | 145 (25.8%) | 72 (23.5%) | 318 (28.0%) |
| 30 or more | 341 (15.1%) | 287 (13.7%) | 120 (21.4%) | 36 (11.7%) | 179 (15.7%) |
| Obese (codes for obesity) | 2 (0.1%) | 2 (0.1%) | 2 (0.4%) | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (0.2%) |
| No information | 175 (7.8%) | 207 (9.9%) | 43 (7.7%) | 17 (5.5%) | 103 (9.1%) |
| Smoking during pregnancy | |||||
| Smoker | 386 (17.1%) | 258 (12.3%) | 234 (41.6%) | 26 (8.5%) | 211 (18.6%) |
| Nonsmoker | 1,809 (80.3%) | 1,787 (85.3%) | 310 (55.2%) | 277 (90.2%) | 894 (78.6%) |
| No information | 59 (2.6%) | 50 (2.4%) | 18 (3.2%) | 4 (1.3%) | 32 (2.8%) |
| Alcohol dependence | 123 (5.5%) | 38 (1.8%) | 69 (12.3%) | 1 (0.3%) | 25 (2.2%) |
| AED indications/uses | |||||
| Epilepsy | 1,559 (69.2%) | 1,774 (84.7%) | 37 (6.6%) | 303 (98.7%) | 939 (82.6%) |
| Depression | 445 (19.7%) | 106 (5.1%) | 273 (48.6%) | 19 (6.2%) | 86 (7.6%) |
| Bipolar disorder | 460 (20.4%) | 27 (1.3%) | 57 (10.1%) | 2 (0.7%) | 74 (6.5%) |
| Other psychiatric disorders | 645 (28.6%) | 179 (8.5%) | 371 (66.0%) | 37 (12.1%) | 162 (14.2%) |
| Migraine | 224 (9.9%) | 105 (5.0%) | 132 (23.5%) | 24 (7.8%) | 62 (5.5%) |
| Chronic pain | 575 (25.5%) | 283 (13.5%) | 387 (68.9%) | 78 (25.4%) | 172 (15.1%) |
| Restless legs syndrome | 9 (0.4%) | 6 (0.3%) | 13 (2.3%) | 1 (0.3%) | 2 (0.2%) |
| None of the above | 63 (2.8%) | 222 (10.6%) | 30 (5.3%) | 3 (1.0%) | 93 (8.2%) |
| Diabetes (preexisting or gestational) | 76 (3.4%) | 56 (2.7%) | 24 (4.3%) | 10 (3.3%) | 43 (3.8%) |
| Hypertension (preexisting or gestational) | 100 (4.4%) | 100 (4.8%) | 48 (8.5%) | 12 (3.9%) | 65 (5.7%) |
| Medications in current pregnancy | |||||
| AED polytherapy | 442 (19.6%) | 269 (12.8%) | 63 (11.2%) | 180 (58.6%) | 256 (22.5%) |
| Antidepressants | 458 (20.3%) | 107 (5.1%) | 284 (50.5%) | 15 (4.9%) | 117 (10.3%) |
| Antipsychotics | 157 (7.0%) | 31 (1.5%) | 76 (13.5%) | 3 (1.0%) | 50 (4.4%) |
| Migraine treatment | 51 (2.3%) | 21 (1.0%) | 43 (7.7%) | 6 (2.0%) | 21 (1.8%) |
| Opioids | 165 (7.3%) | 79 (3.8%) | 195 (34.7%) | 27 (8.8%) | 55 (4.8%) |
| Female infant | 1,178 (52.3%) | 982 (46.9%) | 285 (50.7%) | 144 (46.9%) | 557 (49.0%) |
| High dose (mean, mg/day)a | 454 | 905 | 384 | 2,489 | 1,349 |
| Low dose (mean, mg/day)b | 41 | 186 | 12 | 402 | 211 |
AED, antiepileptic drug; BMI, body mass index.
Note = The denominator for calculations is the number of infants.
a Mean dose in top tertile of pregnancy daily dose.
b Mean dose in bottom tertile of pregnancy daily dose.