Abstracts

To estimate birth rate in epilepsy patients on AED treatment or without AEDs and in a population-based reference cohort without epilepsy. All patients, who were approved as eligible for reimbursement for AEDs from Social Insurance Institution (SII) of Finland for the first time between 1985-94, were identified from the SII database. The reference cohort without epilepsy was identified, and information on vital status, emigration, death and livebirths was obtained from the Finnish Population Register Centre. Information on AED purchases was obtained from the SII database. All information was collected between 1996 and 2000 through computerized record linkage with the unique personal identification number assigned to all residents of Finland. Birth rate was lower in both men and women with epilepsy than in the reference cohort without epilepsy. Birth rate was not significantly lower in female patients on AED treatment than in untreated women with epilepsy (carbamazepine, Hazard ratio [HR]=0.83, 95%CI:0.66,1.03; oxcarbazepine, HR=0.86, 95%CI:0.61,1.21; valproate, HR=0.96,95%CI:0.75,1.22). However, the birth rate was lower among male patients taking one of the three AEDs than among untreated patients (carbamazepine, HR=0.72, 95%CI:0.56,0.93; oxcarbazepine, HR=0.54, 95%CI:0.33,0.87; valproate, HR=0.85, 95%CI:0.63,1.15) or in men without epilepsy (carbamazepine, HR=0.44, 95%CI:0.36,0.55; oxcarbazepine, HR=0.35, 95%CI:0.22,0.56; valproate, HR=0.56, 95%CI:0.43,0.73). The results of the present study suggest that birth rate is decreased among male epilepsy patients on AED treatment, both in relation to untreated patients, or persons without epilepsy.