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Title: Preliminary Research Shows Valproate May Increase Risk of Autism in Children

"Preliminary Research Shows Valproate May Increase Risk of Autism in Children"

ST. PAUL, Minn -- December 3, 2008 -- A new study shows that women who take valproate while pregnant may significantly increase their child's risk of developing autism. The preliminary research is published in the December 2 issue of [Neurology.

The ongoing study involves 632 children, nearly half of whom were exposed to epilepsy drugs during gestation. Of the children whose mothers took epilepsy drugs while pregnant, 64 were exposed to valproate, 44 to lamotrigine, 76 to carbamazepine, and 65 to other epilepsy drugs.

Of the 632 children in the study, 9 have been diagnosed with autism and 1 has shown symptoms of the disorder. The children were tested at 1, 3, and 6 years of age. Two-thirds of the children were 6 years old by the end of the study.

The study found that 7 of the children with autism had mothers who took an epilepsy drug while pregnant; 4 of those children were exposed to valproate while a fifth child's mother took a combination of valproate and lamotrigine.

The children whose mothers were given valproate during pregnancy were 7 times more likely to develop autism compared with children whose mothers did not take an epilepsy drug while pregnant. This risk was not seen with the other epilepsy drugs. None of the children in the study had any known family history of autism.

"The potential risk for autism in this study was substantial for children whose mothers took valproate while pregnant, but more research needs to be done since these are early findings," said lead author Gus Baker, PhD, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.

"However, women who take valproate while pregnant should be informed of the possible risks of autism and are encouraged to discuss them with their doctor. Those who are taking valproate should not stop their treatment without speaking to their doctor first."

Other studies have shown that valproate is more likely to cause birth defects than other epilepsy drugs.

The study was conducted by the Liverpool and Manchester Neurodevelopment Group, a multidisciplinary group consisting of psychologists, geneticists, neurologists, midwives, and support staff.

SOURCE: American Academy of Neurology

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