Abstract
ObjectiveIn a large population-based cohort in Denmark to examine if maternal use of antibiotics during pregnancy, as a marker of infection, increases the risk of febrile seizures in childhood in a large population-based cohort in Denmark.MethodsAll live-born singletons born in Denmark between January 1, 1996 and September 25, 2004 and who were alive on the 90th day of life were identified from the Danish National Birth Registry. Diagnoses of febrile seizures were obtained from the Danish National Hospital Register and maternal use of antibiotics was obtained from the National Register of Medicinal Product Statistics. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated by Cox proportional hazard regression models.ResultsWe followed 551,518 singletons for up to 5 years and identified a total of 21,779 children with a diagnosis of febrile seizures. Slightly increased hazard ratios were observed among most exposure groups when compared to the unexposed group, ex. HR 1.08 95% CI: 1.05–1.11 for use of any systemic antibiotic during pregnancy.ConclusionWe found weak associations between the use of pharmacologically different antibiotics during pregnancy and febrile seizures in early childhood which may indicate that some infections, or causes or effects of infections, during pregnancy could affect the fetal brain and induce susceptibility to febrile seizures.
Highlights
Febrile seizures are the most common seizure disorder in children, affecting 2–5% of all children between 3 months and 5 years of age with a third having more than one episode. [1,2] Children with febrile seizures may be at an increased risk of developing epilepsy
[4] Growing evidence suggests fetal exposures during gestation may contribute to neurological and mental disorders that manifest later in life [5] and several maternal infections during pregnancy have been associated with an increased risk of cerebral palsy [6], epilepsy [7], autism [8], mental retardation [9,10] and schizophrenia [11] in the offspring
Our study examines the association between exposure to antibiotics during prenatal life and the risk of febrile seizures in a large population-based cohort study
Summary
Febrile seizures are the most common seizure disorder in children, affecting 2–5% of all children between 3 months and 5 years of age with a third having more than one episode. [1,2] Children with febrile seizures may be at an increased risk of developing epilepsy. A population-based cohort found that less than 7 percent of children with febrile seizures went on to develop epilepsy by the age of 25; the risk was significantly higher for persons with a family history of epilepsy, cerebral palsy, or low Apgar score shortly after birth. [4] Growing evidence suggests fetal exposures during gestation may contribute to neurological and mental disorders that manifest later in life [5] and several maternal infections during pregnancy have been associated with an increased risk of cerebral palsy [6], epilepsy [7], autism [8], mental retardation [9,10] and schizophrenia [11] in the offspring. Our study examines the association between exposure to antibiotics during prenatal life and the risk of febrile seizures in a large population-based cohort study
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