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Retention rate of levetiracetam in children with intractable epilepsy at 1 year

D Peake1, S Mordekar, J Gosalakkal

  • 1Department of Paediatric Neurology, Birmingham Children's Hospital, and Nottingham University Hospitals, UK. peagrew@doctors.org.uk

Seizure
|January 30, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Levetiracetam (LEV) is an effective antiepileptic drug for children with refractory epilepsy. This study shows LEV is well-tolerated with good seizure reduction and retention rates at 12 months.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Clinical Pharmacology
  • Epileptology

Background:

  • Levetiracetam (LEV) is a novel antiepileptic drug (AED) approved for pediatric use.
  • Refractory epilepsies in children pose significant treatment challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy, tolerability, and retention rate of LEV in pediatric patients with refractory epilepsies.
  • To assess LEV's effectiveness in a large cohort of children with difficult-to-treat epilepsy.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective, multicenter observational study of 200 children (0.3-19 years) with refractory epilepsy.
  • Analysis of LEV use over a 4-year period, including dosage (8-100 mg/kg/day) and co-medications.
  • Assessment of seizure reduction, seizure freedom, adverse events, and retention rates at various time points up to 12 months.

Main Results:

  • LEV demonstrated good tolerability with a 49% retention rate at 1 year.
  • Significant seizure reduction (>50%) observed in 60% at 2 months, 40% at 6 months, and 32% at 12 months.
  • Adverse events were infrequent (24%), primarily behavioral or emotional changes, with no serious events reported.

Conclusions:

  • Levetiracetam is effective and well-tolerated in children with refractory epilepsies.
  • The study confirms good response and retention rates for LEV in pediatric patients up to 12 months.
  • This represents the largest published cohort of pediatric LEV use with a 1-year follow-up.
Abstract

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