Serum pyridoxal, folate, and vitamin B12 levels in institutionalized epileptics

Serum pyridoxal, folate, and vitamin B12 concentrations were measured in 68 institutionalized patients with severe epilepsy. Twenty-five patients had a reduced level of pyridoxal and thirty-three a reduced level of folate. There was no instance of a low serum vitamin B12 although in three patients the levels were found to be abnormally high. Fifteen patients had both a low serum pyridoxal and a low serum folate but there was no significant correlation. All patients had a normal hemoglobin concentration and a normal mean corpuscular volume. There was no close relationship between reduced serum vitamin levels and single or groups of anticonvulsant agents, although the size of the groups was too small to permit a detailed study.