Carnitine and liver functions assessment in children treated with anticonvulsant drugs

Abstract EN

This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of antiepileptic drugs on the liver function and L-carnitine levels in children suffering from epilepsy.

Sixty epileptic children aged from 1 to 15 years, together with 20 healthy controls were studied.

Among them twenty-five children were treated with phenytoin (group I), 25 were treated with carbamazepine (group II) and 10 patients were treated with phenobarbital (group III).

In each of the three groups, serum free carnitine levels were significantly decreased after one month of therapy compared with pretherapy levels (p < 0.01, p < 0.01, p < 0.01 respectively).

Meanwhile, the levels of L-carnitine in treated children collectively were significantly decreased in comparison with healthy children (p < 0.01).

Hypocarnitinemia was detected in 28 % of group I, 56 % of group II, and 30 % of group III.

Serum SGOT was significantly increased in patients treated with phenytoin and phenobarbital (p < 0.01, p < 0.05 respectively) compared with pretherapy levels.

Whereas serum lactate and total bilirubin were significantly increased after therapy in patients treated with carbamazepine in comparison to that before significantly increased (p < 0.05 for each) in comparison with controls.

Moreover, a significant negative correlation was found between values of carnitine and both lactate (p < 0.01) and lactate/pyruvate ratio (p < 0.05) after therapy in carbamazepine treated group.

It should be taken into account that carnitine rich food in the form of milk and milk products must be taken as a supplement to the antiepileptic drugs especially carbamazepine.