A RECENT cohort study of 1,316,107 mother-offspring pairs found that maternal influenza infection during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of febrile seizures in offspring. However, there was not a significant association with the development of epilepsy.
In Taiwan, researchers aimed to investigate whether prenatal exposure to influenza increases the risk of childhood seizures, including both febrile seizures and epilepsy, in a large cohort of mother-offspring pairs.
The study used data from Taiwan’s Maternal and Child Health Database between 2004 and 2013, and offspring were followed up until December 31, 2020. Pregnant mothers diagnosed with influenza and their offspring were compared to a control group of mothers without influenza, matched by maternal age, offspring sex, and delivery date. The analysis included cox proportional hazards models to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (AHRs) for seizures, febrile convulsions, and epilepsy, whilst controlling for pregnancy-related complications. In the influenza group, there was a slightly higher prevalence of placenta previa or abruption compared with the control group (1.6% versus 1.4%; p< .001). The results showed that the risk of seizures in offspring was slightly higher in the influenza group, with an AHR of 1.09 for seizures (95% CI: 1.05-1.14) and 1.11 for febrile seizures (95% CI: 1.06-1.17). However, no significant association was found between maternal influenza and epilepsy (AHR: 1.04; 95% CI: 0.97-1.13). Subgroup analysis showed that there was no significant link between timing of influenza infection and trimester.
Clinically, these findings highlight the importance of preventive measures, such as vaccination, to reduce the risk of influenza during pregnancy. Future research should focus on understanding the biological mechanisms behind these associations.
Katrina Thornber, EMJ
Reference
Lee YF et al. Influenza infection during pregnancy and risk of seizures in offspring. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(9):e2434935.
