ABSTRACT
The effect of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) on serum lipid profile is controversial in children as well as in adults. We longitudinally studied serum lipid profile in 34 newly diagnosed epileptic children receiving AED monotherapy with valproic acid (VPA), carbamazepine (CBZ) or phenobarbital (PB). Serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TGs), apolipoprotein Al (Apo A1) and apolipoprotein B (Apo B) were measured at baseline and after 2 years of AED monotherapy. Atherosclerotic indices of TC/ HDL-C and Apo A1/Apo B ratios were calculated. Although there were some alterations in serum lipid profile with AED without statistical significance, the atherosclerotic indices of TC/HDL-C and Apo A1/Apo B ratios did not change significantly after 2 years of monotherapy. Only serum TGs levels significantly decreased with VPA monotherapy. These data suggest that 2 years AED monotherapy with VPA, CBZ or PB did not cause a significant level of concern for an atherogenic effect in children with epilepsy.
Subject(s)
Anticonvulsants/adverse effects , Atherosclerosis/chemically induced , Epilepsy/blood , Lipids/blood , Adolescent , Anticonvulsants/therapeutic use , Apolipoproteins/blood , Atherosclerosis/epidemiology , Carbamazepine/adverse effects , Carbamazepine/therapeutic use , Child , Cholesterol, HDL/blood , Epilepsy/complications , Female , Humans , Lipoproteins/blood , Male , Phenobarbital/adverse effects , Phenobarbital/therapeutic use , Valproic Acid/adverse effects , Valproic Acid/therapeutic useABSTRACT
Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) is a non-invasive, rapid, accurate and highly reproducible method for the assessment of antiepileptic drug (AED)-induced osteopenia in epileptic children. In this study, we investigated bone mineral density (BMD) using DEXA in 56 epileptic children receiving long-term AED treatment for at least 2 years. All children received AED monotherapy or polytherapy plus a standard vitamin D3 supplement (400 U/day). BMD measurements were made from lumbar spine (L2-L4) regions. Age- and sex-specific BMD SD scores were calculated for each child. Osteopenia was defined as SD scores less than -1.5. There was no significant difference in mean BMD values between epileptic children receiving monotherapy or polytherapy. The results were also compared to the age- and sex-specific BMD SD scores obtained from healthy Turkish children. Only three patients (5%) receiving AED therapy had a BMD SD score less than -1.5. This rate is relatively lower than the rates of previous studies conducted on ambulatory children on long-term AED treatment without vitamin D3 supplementation.
