Neurological

Newborns with acute seizures may be overdosed

HealthDay News – In newborns who have resolved acute symptomatic seizures, there is no difference in functional neurodevelopment or epilepsy at 24 months of age for those who stop anti-epileptic drugs (ASM) prior to hospital discharge versus maintenance of medication, according to one Study published online on May 24 in JAMA Neurology.

Hannah C. Glass, MDCM, of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues used data from nine U.S. Neonatal Seizure Registry centers to determine the association between ASM discontinuation after acute symptomatic neonatal seizures resolved (prior to discharge from hospital) and to assess functional neural development or risk in epilepsy at the age of 24 months. The analysis included data from 303 newborns born between July 2015 and March 2018 who had acute symptomatic seizures.

The researchers found that most newborns (64 percent) were maintaining ASM at the time of hospital discharge. In 270 children with follow-up data at 24 months (54 percent male), the Warner Initial Developmental Evaluation of Adaptive and Functional Skills Score in infants with ASM discontinuation compared to infants with ASM at discharge was similar (median 165 vs. 161; P = 0 , 09), with the incline-adjusted average difference of 4 points satisfying the a priori non-inferiority limit of -12 points. In addition, the risk of epilepsy was similar between the two groups (11 percent versus 14 percent; incline-adjusted odds ratio 1.5; P = 0.32).

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“We really need to weigh the risks of continued medication against the health benefits of babies,” the co-author said in a statement. “If it’s not necessary, leaving her on medication could do more harm than good.”

Several authors reported financial links with pharmaceutical companies and medical organizations.

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Subjects:

Epilepsy Pediatric Neurology Treatments for Seizures

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