Enas Mahmoud Hasan¹, Osama Mahmoud Momtaz², Laila El Morsi Aboul-Fotoh³,

Mohamed Gaber Esawy⁴, Lamia Hamdy Abd El-Hak⁵

Departments of Neurology¹, Pediatrics³, Radiology⁴, Clinical Pathology⁵, Minia University;

Critical Care Medicine², Fayoum University; Egypt

Background: Several adverse effects such as lipid profile changes and increased Intima-Media Thickness (IMT) of carotid arteries were reported among cases who were treated with antiepileptic drugs. Objective: To evaluate the carotid artery intima media thickness and serum lipids in pediatric patients with epilepsy treated with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Methods: The study included 24 epileptic children patients (4-12 years) and 20 age and sex matched control subjects.  All of them were subjected to Fasting venous blood sample drawn and ultrasonographic evaluation of both carotid arteries. Children who were treated by antiepileptic drugs for at least six months or more were included in this study. Results: Although the serum lipid profiles were higher in patients compared to control, the differences were not significant. Common carotid artery intima media thickness (CCA IMT) was significantly higher in epileptic patients treated with antiepileptic drugs compared to control group. The longer the duration of AEDs the greater was the lipid profile (except for HDL) and CCA IMT. Conclusions: Out results heightened atherosclerotic risk might account for the higher mortality and morbidity arising from cerebrovascular disease or atherosclerosis-related heart disease in patients with epilepsy. So, we recommend regular checking on lipid profile and CCA IMT in patients subjected to AEDs and use of carotid ultrasound as non-invasive and cheap screening method to discover early increase in the intima media thickness. Further studies on non-treated epileptic patients are needed to rule out or to prove the role of epilepsy. [Egypt J Neurol Psychiat Neurosurg.  2013; 50(1): 55-59]

Key Words: lipid profile, carotid ultrasound, epilepsy and antiepileptic drugs.