[Secretion of catecholamines in urine of patients with tonic-clonic epileptic seizures]

Epileptic seizures are concerned with temporary neuronal activation of adrenal medulla, manifested by increase of adrenaline and noradrenaline concentration in plasma and clinical symptoms as, among others, an increase in blood pressure, tachycardia and temporary hyperglycaemia. This adrenergical activation may be probably due to reactivity changes in adrenal-sympathetic system in patients with epilepsy also in interseizure periods.

Evaluation of adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine excretion in 24-hour period urine collection in epileptic patients and examination, if there is a correlation between epilepsy clinical picture and catecholamines urine elimination.

32 epileptic patients (16 women, 16 men) in mean age 31.1 +/- 7.1 and 29 healthy age-matched subjects in control. The age of falling ill, disease duration, etiology, family history, type and frequency of seizures, results of neurological and EEG examinations and the applied treatment, have all been taken into account in epilepsy clinical picture.

Daily urine collection was performed on a day-off, and time lapse since the last epileptic seizure was at least 48 hours. Quantitative determination of adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine in urine was performed by fluorimetric method. Differences among the obtained values were compared by t-Student's test, additionally, correlation coefficient was calculated.

Significantly lower mean quantities of dopamine excreted within 24 hours in the whole group of epileptic patients and no significant differences in adrenaline and noradrenaline excretion were found, in relation to control group. Differences in catecholamines excretion in some cases occurred, in correlation with epilepsy clinical picture (onset of epilepsy, results of neurological and EEG examination, phenytoin treatment).

Obtained results suggest the reactivity disturbance of dopamine-noradrenaline-adrenaline system in the epilepsy course. It may result in changes of catecholamines, especially dopamine, excretion with urine.