Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34187781›Full record

ArticleArchives of disease in childhood2022

Childhood seizures after prenatal exposure to maternal influenza infection: a population-based cohort study from Norway, Australia and Canada.

Laura L Oakley, Annette K Regan, Deshayne B Fell, Sarah Spruin, Inger Johanne Bakken, Jeffrey C Kwong, Gavin Pereira, Natasha Nassar, Kari M Aaberg, Allen J Wilcox and 1 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Archives of disease in childhood, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Prenatal and childhood infections and risk of epilepsy.European journal of epidemiology · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Laura L OakleyDepartment of Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK laura.oakley@lshtm.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0002-4697-4316
Annette K ReganSchool of Nursing and Health Professions, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3879-6193
Deshayne B FellSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-5548-3228
Sarah SpruinICES, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-4359-0544
Inger Johanne BakkenCentre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-4176-8257
Jeffrey C KwongICES, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-7820-2046
Gavin PereiraSchool of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-3740-8117
Natasha NassarChild Population and Translational Health Research, Children's Hospital at Westmead Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-3720-9655
Kari M AabergThe National Center for Epilepsy, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Allen J WilcoxCentre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-3376-1311
Siri E HåbergCentre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-2199-5225

Funding

Epidemiology Of Reproductive Outcomes /Environ ExposuresZ01ES044003 · NIEHS · NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES · PI WILCOX, ALLEN J · 1985 to 2008
$786k
CIHR AO1-151541Intramural NIH HHS Z01 ES044003
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo assess whether clinical and/or laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of maternal influenza during pregnancy increases the risk of seizures in early childhood.

designAnalysis of prospectively collected registry data for children born between 2009 and 2013 in three high-income countries. We used Cox regression to estimate country-level adjusted HRs (aHRs); fixed-effects meta-analyses were used to pool adjusted estimates.

settingPopulation-based.

participants1 360 629 children born between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2013 in Norway, Australia (New South Wales) and Canada (Ontario). EXPOSURE: Clinical and/or laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of maternal influenza infection during pregnancy.

main outcome measuresWe extracted data on recorded seizure diagnosis in secondary/specialist healthcare between birth and up to 7 years of age; additional analyses were performed for the specific seizure outcomes 'epilepsy' and 'febrile seizures'.

resultsAmong 1 360 629 children in the study population, 14 280 (1.0%) were exposed to maternal influenza in utero. Exposed children were at increased risk of seizures (aHR 1.17, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.28), and also febrile seizures (aHR 1.20, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.34). There was no strong evidence of an increased risk of epilepsy (aHR 1.07, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.41). Risk estimates for seizures were higher after influenza infection during the second and third trimester than for first trimester.

conclusionsIn this large international study, prenatal exposure to influenza infection was associated with increased risk of childhood seizures.

Indexed as

AdultAustraliaCanadaChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornInfluenza, HumanNorwayPregnancyPregnancy Complications, InfectiousPrenatal Exposure Delayed EffectsProspective StudiesRegistriesSeizuresepidemiologyneurology

Identifiers

PMID34187781
PMCPMC8908878

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.