Source: Epilepsia  |  Posted 9 years ago

There appears to be no association was found between the use of carbamazepine during pregnancy and the risk of congenital eye malformations, according to a retrospective study and review of the literature.

H. Y. Kroes and colleagues from the department of medical genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands, investigated whether use of carbamazepine during pregnancy increases the incidence of congenital eye malformations in women's offspring. They identified 77 infants with congenital anophthalmia, microphthalmia or coloboma based on data recorded in the EUROCAT Northern Netherlands dataset. This dataset records instances of congenital malformations as well as possible teratogenic exposures. The investigators also reviewed 13 published studies.

None of the mothers of the 77 infants with congenital eye malformations had taken carbamazepine during pregnancy. The researchers also identified seven women who took carbamazepine during pregnancy and subsequently gave birth to children with no eye malformation. The 13 published reports they reviewed, which included large studies, did not uncover a link between carbamazepine use during pregnancy and subsequent eye malformations in offspring. There was one case report of a woman whose newborn child had bilateral anophthalmia and other congenital anomalies. However, this woman took carbamazepine as well as vigabatrin and dexamethasone during her pregnancy.

The authors concluded that they were unable to find evidence supporting previously reported suggestions of a connection between carbamazepine use during pregnancy and eye malformations in offspring. They note, however, that use of carbamazepine in combination with other medical therapies during pregnancy might be associated with an increased risk of congenital eye malformations in offspring.