Open AccessThe Investigation of Insulin Resistance in Two Groups of Epileptic Patients Treated with Sodium Valproate and Carbamazepine
Author(s) -
Mohammad Reza Najafi,
Bahareh Bazooyar,
Mohammad Reza Zare,
Mohammad Reza Aghaghazvini,
Behnaz Ansari,
Ali Rajaei,
Masoumeh Dashti
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
advanced biomedical research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2277-9175
DOI - 10.4103/2277-9175.201689
Subject(s) - hyperinsulinemia , medicine , carbamazepine , insulin resistance , valproic acid , body mass index , endocrinology , insulin , triglyceride , epilepsy , population , blood lipids , cholesterol , psychiatry , environmental health
Background: Valproic acid (VPA) is a widely used broad-spectrum antiepileptic drug for therapy of generalized and focal epilepsies. Cross-sectional studies have suggested that valproate treatment may be associated with hyperinsulinemia. We decided to investigate hyperinsulinemia as a health-threatening side effect of VPA in Iranian epileptic patients. Materials and Methods: Body mass index (BMI), lipid profile, fasting serum insulin, fasting blood glucose (FBS), and homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were measured in 30 VPA-treated epileptic patients and 30 controls (CBZ-treated). The Chi-square test, t-test, and Pearson correlation test were used. Results: BMI was higher in VPA group than in control group (25.7 ± 3.5 > 21.7 ± 4.1) (0.000 < 0.05). Prevalence of obesity was 16.6% in VPA group that was almost the same and even lower than general Iranian population. Serum triglyceride (TG) (150 ± 77.2) was higher than CBZ group (114 ± 35.2) (P = 0.023 < 0.05). However, serum high-density lipoprotein level was lower in VPA group than controls (45.2 ± 11.7 < 54.4 ± 13.9) (P = 0.008 < 0.05). Serum insulin, FBS, HOMA-IR, cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein did not demonstrate statistically significant differences between the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Despite the majority of previous studies that are against VPA and according to our study, VPA could be prescribed safely and it may not cause IR and its complications