Impact of prenatal life on the risk of developing epilepsy

Otinashvili,Nina; Ahmadi,Saba; Iordanishvili,Luka; Balagopal,Anashwara; Gvasalia,Tsotne

doi:10.3892/mi.2024.136

Impact of prenatal life on the risk of developing epilepsy

Authors:
- Nina Otinashvili
- Saba Ahmadi
- Luka Iordanishvili
- Anashwara Balagopal
- Tsotne Gvasalia
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Affiliations: American MD Program, Faculty of Medicine, Tbilisi State Medical University, 0177 Tbilisi, Georgia
Published online on: February 8, 2024 https://doi.org/10.3892/mi.2024.136
Article Number: 12
Copyright : © Otinashvili et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License [CC BY 4.0].

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Abstract

Epilepsy is an enduring predisposition of the brain to generate epileptic seizures and has a worldwide incidence of 21‑24 per 100,000 cases among children. Epilepsy is a multifactorial disease; however, certain risk factors are predicted to increase its incidence. Abnormal brain development during prenatal life, particularly during the last trimester, is considered to play a crucial role in the development of certain neurological disorders. The present study evaluated a total of 453 children between the ages of 1 to 18 years, with or without epilepsy. The association between gestational age, birth weight, maternal age and sex, and the risk of developing epilepsy was examined in the children. It was found that children born preterm had a 2.3‑fold higher risk of having epilepsy [odds ratio (OR), 2.3; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.4‑3.7], and those whose birth weight was <2,500 g had a 2‑fold greater risk of developing epilepsy (OR, 2; 95% CI, 1.1‑3.6). The male sex appeared to be associated with a lower risk of developing epilepsy and there was a statistically significant association between the female sex and the risk of developing epilepsy only in preterm children (OR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.2‑8.8). Maternal age was not found to be associated with the risk of developing epilepsy. On the whole, the present study demonstrates that a short gestational age, a low birth weight and the female sex are associated with an increased risk of developing epilepsy.

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