Study: Children of pregnant woman who take multiple epilepsy meds more likely to drop out of school

By Staff Writer

The most recent data regarding student dropout rates reveals that nearly one-third of U.S. adolescents do not graduate from high school.

The report Diplomas Count 2010 shows that only 69 percent of students earned a standard diploma in 2007, according to The Christian Science Monitor. The dip was the second consecutive year that the graduation rate declined. Four decades ago, the graduation rate was 77 percent.

There are many reasons why a child leaves high school, but a recent study shows that one factor may stem from a decision made before the student was born. According to research published in the journal Epilepsia, researchers in Sweden have found that children born to mothers who take multiple medications for epilepsy are more likely to drop out of school, as reported by MSNBC.com.

Researchers in Sweden examined the records of 1,235 children - born between 1973 and 1986 - whose mothers received drug treatment for the seizure disorder during pregnancy. The team found that the offspring whose mothers took two different medicines - also known as polytherapy - were three times more likely to drop out of school compared to those children whose mothers took only one drug.

Although the one-drug children were not any more likely to drop out of school, the study found they were less likely to "pass with excellence."

The research presents a dilemma for doctors who have concerns about treating pregnant women with anti-epileptic drugs, while at the same time worrying about those same individuals suffering seizures that could potentially harm the fetus. Physicians hope that mild cases of epilepsy can be treated with just one drug treatment.

The director at an American epilepsy center told the news source that there are some limitations to the study, such as case-by-case records that could reveal contributing factors to each child's situation. He said that the data would help determine if a particular number of seizures by a pregnant women or a specific combination of drugs caused problems.

Other studies show that substances used by the kids may also coincide with dropout trends. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reveals that 54 percent of dropouts smoked cigarettes within a month of taking the survey, compared to 39 percent of those who stayed in school.

Among individuals aged 18 to 20, the rate of illicit drug use was higher among dropouts than non-dropouts, according to the NSDUH.