study of testosterone relation to temporal lobe epilepsy

ABSTRACT

The present work aimed to study the relation between total testosterone serum levels [TTSLs] and temporal lobe epilepsy [TLE] in men, as decreased TTSL may favour the occurrence of TLE, sexual disorders commonly associated with it and is amenable to therapeutic manipulations. TTSLs were measured in [20] men with TLE and [20] age matched healthy controls. Significantly higher TTSLs were found in patients than controls, in patients receiving antiepileptics than untreated ones and in polypharmacy patients than monotherapy ones. Eleven of the patients had sexual desire or arousal disorders, [9] of them were receiving antiepileptics, [8] of these [9] had increased TTSLs. Ten [10] other patients with decreased TTSLs were evaluated for the presence of TLE which could not be discovered in any of them. It seems that decreased TTSL does not cause TLE. Antiepileptics may be responsible for both the change in TTSLs and sexual disorders in men with TLE as they may elevate TTSLs yet lower levels of the physiologically active free testosterone