The Effect of Levetiracetam Therapy on Lipid Profile in Epileptic Children

A total of 37 pediatric epileptic patients (children = 16, adolescents = 21) and 54 healthy control (children = 17, adolescents = 37) were enrolled to the study. Participants admitted to the pediatric neurology outpatient clinic of Ataturk City Hospital from October 2020 to October 2021 were recruited to this observational case-control study.

The pediatric neurologist and pediatric endocrinologist evaluated all the participants' medical data to determine their medical history and physical examination. Retrospectively, all the participants' age, gender, anthropometric assessments, BMI (body weight/height2), pubertal development staging, laboratory workup (thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (fT3), free thyroxine (fT4), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol (TC), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), uric acid, CRP) noted from the medical records. Height and weight measurements of the participants were made with a digital Harpenden stadiometer by the same person.

Seizure and epilepsy types of patients were categorized according to recommendations of the International League Against Epilepsy, 2017.

The degree of seizure control was categorized 'controlled' if they were seizure-free for ≥1 year, 'partially controlled' if the seizures' intervals were longer than seven days but shorter than 30 days, and 'uncontrolled' if the seizures occurred several times a day or at intervals shorter than seven days.

The Puberty Development Scale categorized in boys with testicular volume (testicular volume measured with a prader orchidometer) greater than 4 milliliters were considered pubertal. And for girls with breast development at Tanner stage 2 (breast development with an elevation of breast and papilla; enlargement of the areola) and above were considered pubertal.