[Radioimmunologic study of the plasma concentrations of folic acid and various antiepileptic preparations during the treatment of epileptic patients]. / Radioimmunologicheskoe issledovanie soderzhaniia folievoi kisloty i nekotorykh protivoépilepticheskikh preparatov v plazme krovi pri lechenii bol'nykh épilepsii.

Radioimmunoassay of folic acid, phenobarbital, and difenine done in 78 epileptic patients identified the correlation between the content of these substances in the blood plasma and the side effects during antiepileptic therapy. It was established that a fall in the content of folic acid following the attack and in the interictal period is of a transitory nature, in contrast to a steady deficiency caused by anticonvulsants. A decrease in the content of folic acid to the lower limit of normal was followed by a reduced incidence of epileptic fits. On the contrary, the larger the concentrations of blood folates, the greater the risk of paroxysm recurrence. The results of the study offer the prerequisites for the prophylaxis of side effects and the effective therapy with anticonvulsant agents.