Paternal Exposure to Valproate Not Linked to Offspring Neurodevelopmental Disorders

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 26, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Paternal exposure to valproate during sperm development is not associated with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) in offspring, according to a study published online Aug. 19 in Neurology.Yen-Chen Anne Feng, Sc.D., from the National Taiwan University in Taipei, and colleagues used data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database for individuals born in 2001 to 2016 and followed through 2021 to examine the risks for NDDs and congenital malformations in offspring attributable to paternal exposure to valproate and other antiseizure medications (ASMs) during sperm development. To control for shared genetic and lifestyle factors, exposure-discordant sibling sets were identified for a sibling comparison analysis.A total of 1,701 individuals were exposed to paternal use of valproate and 548 exposure-discordant sibling sets were available for the sibling comparison analysis within the population cohort of 2,583,503 individuals. The researchers found that paternal valproate exposure was not associated with the risk for NDDs in offspring in population-based analyses. When restricting analyses to children of fathers with epilepsy and when the sibling comparison analysis was conducted, these null effects persisted. A few associations appeared at nominal significance for other ASMs, but none remained in sibling comparison analyses."A recent warning in the United Kingdom advised against the use of valproate in men 55 and younger due to concerns about adverse outcomes in their offspring, based on the results of European-based studies," coauthor Shi-Heng Wang, Ph.D., from the National Health Research Institutes in Miaoli, Taiwan, said in a statement. "Our study of 2.5 million births in Taiwan adds to the evidence. It found no increased risk of disorders or malformations among children of fathers prescribed valproate or other antiseizure medications."Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Paternal Exposure to Valproate Not Linked to Offspring Neurodevelopmental Disorders

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