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Levetiracetam monotherapy for the treatment of infants with epilepsy

Pinar Arican1, Pinar Gencpinar2, Dilek Cavusoglu2

  • 1Department of Pediatric Neurology, Izmir Tepecik Education and Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkey.

Seizure
|February 18, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Levetiracetam monotherapy effectively treated seizures in infants under two. Normal psychomotor development and unknown etiologies predicted seizure freedom, with minimal side effects like irritability reported.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Clinical Pharmacology
  • Epileptology

Background:

  • Levetiracetam is a broad-spectrum anti-epileptic drug.
  • It is effective for both focal and generalized epilepsies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate levetiracetam monotherapy's efficacy, tolerability, and safety in children under two with epilepsy.
  • To assess its effectiveness across different seizure types in this age group.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective study of 92 children diagnosed with epilepsy from 2014-2017.
  • Inclusion criteria: age under two at levetiracetam initiation as monotherapy, and at least 6 months follow-up.

Main Results:

  • 66% of patients achieved seizure freedom.
  • Efficacy was observed in both focal (58%) and generalized (77%) epilepsies.
  • Normal psychomotor development and unknown etiologies were significant predictors of seizure control (OR=6).
  • Irritability was the only reported adverse effect in 1% of children; no other significant side effects or discontinuations occurred.

Conclusions:

  • Levetiracetam monotherapy is an effective, well-tolerated, and safe treatment for various seizure types in infants.
  • It demonstrates significant efficacy in patients with unknown etiologies and normal psychomotor development.
  • The drug shows a favorable safety profile for young children with epilepsy.
Abstract

Keywords:
EpilepsyInfantLevetiracetamSeizures

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