Assessment of Subclinical Pancreatitis in Epileptic Children With Different Treatment Modalities

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Gastroenterology
• Neurology
• Clinical Biochemistry

Background:

• Acute pancreatitis presents differently in pediatric and adult populations.
• Drug-induced pancreatitis is a recognized complication in children.
• Epilepsy treatment involves various antiepileptic drug regimens.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence of subclinical pancreatitis in pediatric epilepsy patients.
• To compare pancreatic enzyme levels and diameters in epilepsy patients on different drug regimens versus healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 80 children with epilepsy (40 on monotherapy, 40 on multitherapy) and 20 healthy controls.
• Serum lipase and amylase levels were measured.
• Pancreatic duct and body diameters were assessed using imaging.

Main Results:

• Children with epilepsy on both monotherapy and multitherapy showed significantly higher serum amylase and lipase levels compared to controls (P < .001).
• Significant differences in pancreatic duct and body diameters were observed between monotherapy and multitherapy groups, and between multitherapy and control groups (P = .024 and P = .01, respectively).
• Elevated serum amylase was also noted in patients with controlled versus uncontrolled epilepsy fits (P = .008).

Conclusions:

• Subclinical pancreatitis is a potential complication associated with various antiepileptic drug regimens in children.
• Monitoring pancreatic function may be warranted in pediatric patients treated for epilepsy.