Maternal influenza infection in pregnancy tied to seizures in offspring

Maternal influenza infection during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk for seizures and febrile convulsions in offspring, according to a study published online Sept. 23 in JAMA Network Open.

Yi-Feng Lee, M.D., from Taichung Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan, and colleagues examined the association between maternal influenza infection and risk for childhood seizures in a cohort study of 1,316,107 mother-offspring pairs, identified from Jan. 1, 2004, to Dec. 31, 2013. Mothers who had influenza during pregnancy and their offspring were assigned to the influenza group (75,835 mothers) and matched in a 1:4 ratio with mothers without influenza during pregnancy.

The researchers found that the prevalence of placenta previa or abruption was slightly higher in the influenza group versus the control group (1.6 versus 1.4 percent). Offspring whose mothers had influenza infection had a higher cumulative risk for seizures. The adjusted hazard ratios (95 percent confidence intervals) were 1.09 (1.05 to 1.14), 1.11 (1.06 to 1.17), and 1.04 (0.97 to 1.13) for seizures, febrile convulsions, and epilepsy, respectively, after controlling for potential confounders.

“The findings of this study suggest that maternal influenza infection during pregnancy might increase the risk of childhood seizures, especially febrile seizures, but not epilepsy,” the authors write. “Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying childhood neurological development.”

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