Valproate (Epilepsy)

Study	Exclusion reasons	Rmk	Reference
Vajda (Valproate) (Controls unexposed, sick), 2018		Overlapping between Vajda 2024a (1999 - 2023) and Vajda 2018 (1999 - 2016) based on the same register and for the almost same outcome (with or without elective termination) => Use of Vajda 2024a because accounting for more relevant confounders.	Vajda Acta Neurol Scand 2018; 137:20-23 10.1111/ane.12816
Vajda (Valproate) (Controls exposed to Lamotrigine, sick), 2018		Overlapping between Vajda 2024a (1999 - 2023) and Vajda 2018 (1999 - 2016) based on the same register and for the almost same outcome (with or without elective termination) => Use of Vajda 2024a because accounting for more relevant confounders.	Vajda Acta Neurol Scand 2018; 137:20-23 10.1111/ane.12816
Coste (Valproate) (Controls unexposed, sick), 2020		EXCLUDED: this control group doesn't exist in the article (only in the report). Children with a diagnosis of brain malformation (ICD-10 codes Q00 to Q04 and Q05.0 to Q05.4) during their stay in the maternity unit are excluded.	Coste Sci Rep 2020; 10:17362 10.1038/s41598-020-74409-x
Elkjaer (Valproate), 2018		Overlapping: this publication totally included the data of Elkjaer, 2018, for an higher academic grade => use of Ren 2023.	Elkjaer JAMA Neurol 2018; 75:663-671 10.1001/jamaneurol.2017.5035
Wiggs (Valproate), 2020	repeat population groups, duplicate reports (most recent study included)	EXCLUDED: Overlapping: Totally included in Madley-Dowd 2024. Children who were multiples were dropped. Crude data are not specified for monotherapy exposure.	Wiggs Neurology 2020; 95:e3232-e3240 10.1212/WNL.0000000000010993
He (Valproate) (Controls exposed to Lamotrigine, sick), 2017	repeat population groups, duplicate reports (most recent study included)	Overlapping: He 2017 totally included in Li 2023, with a longer study period and more pregnancies => Use of Li 2023. Patients who developed epilepsy during pregnancy or after delivery were not included.	He Epilepsy Behav 2017; 74:10-14 10.1016/j.yebeh.2017.05.034
He (Valproate) (Controls unexposed, sick), 2017	repeat population groups, duplicate reports (most recent study included)	Overlapping: He 2017 totally included in Li 2023, with a longer study period and more pregnancies => Use of Li 2023. Patients who developed epilepsy during pregnancy or after delivery were not included.	He Epilepsy Behav 2017; 74:10-14 10.1016/j.yebeh.2017.05.034
Gopinath (Valproate), 2015	repeat population groups, duplicate reports (most recent study included)	Overlapping: Thomas 2022 included data on language and cognitive delay, also evaluated in Sreedharan et al., 2018; Thomas 2007 and Gopinath 2015, but with more exposed pregnancies, more relevant control group and older children => Use of Thomas 2022.	Gopinath Epilepsy Res 2015; 117:58-62 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2015.09.003
Thomas (Valproate), 2007	repeat population groups, duplicate reports (most recent study included)	Overlapping: Thomas 2022 included data on language and cognitive delay, also evaluated in Sreedharan et al., 2018; Thomas 2007 and Gopinath 2015, but with more exposed pregnancies, more relevant control group and older children => Use of Thomas 2022.	Thomas Epilepsia 2007; 48:2234-40 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2007.01376.x