RESUMO
Objective: Decreased serum uric acid has been associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) in the elderly. Several studies suggest that there may be a link between PD and Essential tremor (ET) which is thought to be a neurodegenerative disease. Serum uric acid level (UA) and its relationship with prognosis in ET patients have not been addressed. Study Population: The current study was conducted in the outpatient neurology unit of Istanbul Medeniyet University Medical Faculty Göztepe Teaching Hospital between May 2011 and Sep 2013. Methods: Subjects with ET were evaluated. We collected serum samples to determine biochemical indicators including UA, glucose, blood lipids, liver function, and renal function. All the patients with vascular risk factors, dementia, depression or other neurodegenerative disorders were excluded, as were the subjects on uric acid-lowering therapy or with serious illnesses such as severe anemia, chronic renal failure, hepatic disease or active or ongoing cardiovascular or cerebral vascular disease. One hundred and sixteen subjects (52 isolated ET patients and 64 healthy controls well matched in comparison of age and sex) were enrolled. Results: UA level was similar between the groups. Follow-up UA levels of the patients were similar to controls, too. UA level correlated to age, ET starting age, cholesterol level and creatinine level (p<0.05). Conclusion: There were reasonable epidemiological evidences to support a link between ET and UA level, but we did not find any difference between serum UA levels of ET patients and controls in follow-up. Age was one of the factors contributing to the increased content of UA in the blood serum of especially the man with ET. These findings also supported the knowledge about isolated form of ET which was stable and benign.
RESUMO
Chronic type skin reactions are defined as unwanted effects of drugs. As there are more benign conditions, skin findings related to chronic usage of anti-epileptic drugs [AEDs] have not been studied previously. In this study, we investigate the skin findings associated with the chronic usage of AEDs. The study was conducted in the Post, Telephone and Telegraph Training and Research Hospital between May 2002 and January 2003 during a 6-month work period. Skin lesions were first assessed individually, and then their correlations with AEDs were examined. Skin findings were then divided into skin disease groups to evaluate statistical significance. The prevalence of skin findings occurring in 62 epileptics was compared with that of an age-matched group of 33 non-epileptics. The rate of skin findings defined in the workgroup was 85.5%, while it was 84.8% in the control group. The most common skin findings were acneiform eruptions for both groups. There were no significant differences between the work and study group for skin findings [p>0.05]. Alopecia was the only skin condition related to AED usage and it was seen in 4 patients [6.5%] using valproate [p<0.05]. None of the 11 patients with infectious skin findings were using valproate, and that was the only significant relationship between antiepileptic drugs and skin diseases [p=0.015]. The inflammatory skin diseases were the most commonly seen problem in both patients and controls. The alopecia ratio with valproate usage in our patient group was similar to literature reports