1Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Chintpurni Medical College and Hospital, Bungal, Pathankot, Punjab, India
2Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College, Amritsar, Punjab, India
*Corresponding author email id: drartigupta80@gmail.com
Online published on 16 April, 2015.
Antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy is the main stay of treatment for most patients with epilepsy. These may cause various side effects like metabolic, biochemical, and radiological abnormalities. The severity of bone and biochemical abnormalities is thought to correlate with the duration of AED exposure and the number of AEDs used.
To study the effect of antiepileptic drugs on serum phosphorous levels in the epileptic patients and to compare any relationship of biochemical change with duration of therapy.
A comparative study among two groups of epilepsy patients was designed; one taking AEDs for more than 6 months and other group of newly diagnosed epilepsy patients not taking any AED at the time of contact and their serum phosphorous levels were measured. A total of 100 subjects presenting with epilepsy in the O.P.D. of Neurology Department of Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, attached to Government Medical College, Amritsar were selected. Fifty epileptic subjects taking AEDs for more than 6 months were considered as study group which are again further divided into two groups depending upon duration of treatment with AEDs taken. The control group was of newly diagnosed epilepsy patients not taking any AED at the time of contact.
Antiepileptic drugs cause significant fall in serum phosphorous levels in epileptic patients and this fall is related to the duration of therapy.
While treating patients with AEDs, a watch on phosphorous levels should be kept.
Epilepsy, Seizures, Antiepileptic drugs, biochemical changes, Serum phosphorous levels, Duration of treatment
