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Demographic and Clinical Predictors of Drug Response in Epileptic Children in Jeddah

Rania Magadmi1, Reem Alyoubi2

  • 1Clinical Pharmacology Department, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.

Biomedicines
|August 26, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Predicting drug resistance in epilepsy is crucial. Younger age, no family history, and partial seizures improve antiseizure medication (ASM) response in children. Levetiracetam monotherapy showed better outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Pediatrics
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Epilepsy affects millions globally, with a significant portion experiencing drug-resistant epilepsy despite numerous antiseizure medications (ASMs).
  • Identifying factors predicting ASM response is vital for optimizing treatment strategies in pediatric epilepsy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of demographic and clinical characteristics on antiseizure medication (ASM) resistance in epileptic children.
  • To assess the efficacy of levetiracetam monotherapy versus polytherapy in pediatric epilepsy.

Main Methods:

  • A multicenter, hospital-based, cross-sectional, case-control study was conducted in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, involving 101 pediatric epilepsy patients.
  • Data collected included patient demographics, epilepsy history, and response to ASMs, with statistical analysis to identify significant predictors.

Main Results:

  • Younger age, absence of parental consanguinity, no family history of epilepsy, and partial seizure diagnosis were associated with a good ASM response.
  • Levetiracetam monotherapy demonstrated a statistically significant better response compared to polytherapy (p < 0.001).
  • No association was found between ASM response and sex, nationality, BMI, CBC, or vitamin B12 levels.

Conclusions:

  • Demographic and epilepsy history are predictive of ASM response in children.
  • Early identification of factors associated with drug resistance can guide personalized treatment approaches.
  • Complete blood count and vitamin B12 levels are not reliable predictors of ASM response in this cohort.

Keywords:
antiseizuredrug responsepediatric neurology

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