Parent's Rheumatoid Arthritis May Put Child at Risk for Epilepsy
Scientists examined data from thousands of children
Using Danish national registries, the scientists used a nationwide cohort including almost 2 million children. They followed these kids for an average of 16 years. First, they collected data about rheumatoid arthritis in these children's parents. Then, they documented those that had a diagnosis of epilepsy. It was found that nearly 31,500 children had epilepsy, and 19,000 of these children were born to parents with rheumatoid arthritis. Children who had mothers with rheumatoid arthritis during pregnancy were more likely to get epilepsy, with a hazard ratio of 1.90. Those who had mothers with rheumatoid arthritis but weren't exposed in utero also had an increased risk, with a hazard ratio of 1.34. However, children with fathers suffering from rheumatoid arthritis did not show any increased risk for this seizure disorder.
