Bone Mineral Density in Ambulatory Epileptic Children with New Antiepileptic Drug Monotherapy / 대한소아신경학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study was conducted for evaluation of the effects of new antiepileptic drugs on bone mineral density in children with epilepsy. METHODS: The study group consisted of 35 age and gender matched controls and 35 epileptic children taking new antiepileptic drugs 14 on topiramate, 10 on lamotrigine, and 11 on oxcarbazepine in monotherapy. All patients were treated for more than one year and all were normally ambulatory children. We measured serum levels of calcium, alkaline phosphatase, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at lumbar spine regions L1-L4. RESULTS: Vitamin D levels of the oxcarbazepine group (25-hydroxyvitamin D 40.3+/-10.5 ng/mL and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 57.9+/-15.2 pg/mL) were significantly lower than in controls (44.6+/-11.5 ng/mL, 66.2+/-10.5 pg/mL, P<0.05); however, they did not differ significantly in the topiramate and lamotrigine groups. The bone mineral density value was significantly lower in the oxcarbazepine (L1-L4 0.73+/-0.11 g/cm2) group, compared with the controls (0.84+/-0.06 g/cm2, P<0.05) or patients taking topiramate or lamotrigine. CONCLUSION: Monitoring of bone metabolism is recommended for patients treated with new antiepileptic drugs, particularly oxcarbazepine.