Authors :
Presenting Author: Page Pennell, MD – University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Elizabeth Gerard, MD – Neurology – Northwestern University; Laura Kalayjian, MD – Neurology – University of Southern California; Alison Pack, MD – Professor and Chief of Epilepsy, Neurology, Columbia University; Paula Voinescu, MD – Assistant Professor, Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Jacqueline French, MD – Professor, Neurology, New York University Comprehensive Epilepsy Center; Chelsea Robalino, M. Stat. – Emmes; Abigail Matthews, Ph.D. – Emmes; Angela Birnbaum, Ph.D. – Professor, Pharmacy, University of Minnesota; Kimford Meador, MD – Professor, Neurology, Stanford University
Rationale:
Adequate Vitamin D during pregnancy is critical for fetal skeletal growth and brain development with recommendations of 25-OH vitamin D levels >30 ng/mL during pregnancy. In the general population, maternal vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy has been associated with unfavorable neurobehavioral outcomes in the offspring, including autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder. Adult populations with epilepsy are often reported to have vitamin D deficiency, with greater deficiency in those prescribed enzyme-inducing ASMs (EIASMs). We aimed to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in a cohort of pregnant women with epilepsy (WWE), if this differed from a cohort of pregnant women without epilepsy (WWoE), and if EIASMs are associated with lower vitamin D levels.
Methods:
The Maternal Outcomes and Neurodevelopmental Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs (MONEAD) study is a prospective, observational, multi-center investigation of pregnant WWE with control groups including pregnant WWoE. Enrollment was <