Avoiding valproate is recommended in women of childbearing age due to possible teratogenicity and infertility. We aimed to examine the recent trend of valproate prescriptions in Korea to review the adequacy of anticonvulsant prescriptions in women with epilepsy (WWE). Oral valproate utilization was assessed using nationwide and unselected data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service from 2009 to 2017. The temporal trends of the proportions of valproate prescriptions were analyzed using the Poisson regression model and expressed as average annual percentage change (AAPC). Among the WWE of childbearing age, valproate was prescribed in 37.0% overall and 29.4% as initial prescription in 2017. The proportion of valproate utilization showed a decreasing trend in overall prescription (AAPC = -1.10%) and initial prescription (AAPC = -2.63%). However, the proportion was static over time in the initial monotherapy group (AAPC = -0. 53%), while it was significantly decreasing in the initial polytherapy group (AAPC = -8.25%). A noticeable proportion of WWE was still being prescribed valproate in Korea. In particular, the use of valproate for initial monotherapy has not decreased over the past nine years. This result calls not only for reinforcement of education regarding anticonvulsant selection but also for monitoring the actual prescription.

中文翻译：

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韩国女性癫痫患者丙戊酸盐的真实处方趋势

由于可能的致畸性和不孕症，建议育龄妇女避免使用丙戊酸盐。我们的目的是检查韩国最近的丙戊酸盐处方趋势，以审查抗癫痫药处方在女性癫痫 (WWE) 中的充分性。使用韩国国民健康保险局 2009 年至 2017 年的全国和未选择数据评估口服丙戊酸盐的使用情况。使用泊松回归模型分析丙戊酸盐处方比例的时间趋势，并表示为年均百分比变化（AAPC）。在育龄期WWE中，2017年丙戊酸盐占总处方的37.0%和初始处方的29.4%。丙戊酸盐的使用比例在总处方（AAPC=-1.10%）和初始处方（AAPC=-2.63）中呈下降趋势。 %）。然而，该比例在初始单药治疗组（AAPC = -0. 53%）中随着时间的推移保持不变，而在初始多药治疗组（AAPC = -8.25%）中则显着下降。在韩国，仍有相当一部分 WWE 服用丙戊酸盐。特别是，在过去九年中，丙戊酸盐用于初始单药治疗并没有减少。这一结果不仅需要加强抗惊厥药物选择方面的教育，还需要监测实际处方。在过去九年中，丙戊酸盐用于初始单药治疗并没有减少。这一结果不仅需要加强抗惊厥药物选择方面的教育，还需要监测实际处方。在过去九年中，丙戊酸盐用于初始单药治疗并没有减少。这一结果不仅需要加强抗惊厥药物选择方面的教育，还需要监测实际处方。