J Clin Neurol.  2017 Oct;13(4):371-379. 10.3988/jcn.2017.13.4.371.

Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs on the Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness in Epileptic Patients

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Neurology, Zhejiang Hospital, Hangzhou, China.
  • 2Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. meipingd@163.com

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
It has been reported that taking antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may increase the risk of atherosclerosis. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the carotid artery intima-media thickness (CA-IMT) as a surrogate factor for atherosclerosis in epileptic patients.
METHODS
We searched NCBI (PubMed), ISI Web of Knowledge, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases for studies of the association between AEDs and CA-IMT in epileptic patients. A random-effects meta-analysis was used to pool results across studies.
RESULTS
Fifteen studies involving 1,775 epileptic patients were included in the analysis. The overall CA-IMT was significantly larger among users of AEDs [mean difference (MD)=0.09 mm, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.06-0.12 mm). When stratified by age, the MD was similar in adult patients (MD=0.09 mm, 95% CI=0.06-0.13 mm), but no significant difference was observed in children (MD=0.03 mm, 95% CI=0.00-0.07 mm). Regarding specific AEDs, monotherapy with carbamazepine (CBZ) or valproic acid (VPA) was associated with a larger CA-IMT, while phenytoin monotherapy was not and the result for lamotrigine was inconclusive.
CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that using AEDs is associated with the CA-IMT in patients with epilepsy, particularly for adult patients. In particular, CBZ and VPA may be related to a significant increase in CA-IMT.

Keyword

antiepileptic drugs; atherosclerosis; intima-media thickness; meta-analysis

MeSH Terms

Adult
Anticonvulsants*
Atherosclerosis
Carbamazepine
Carotid Arteries*
Child
Epilepsy
Humans
Phenytoin
Valproic Acid
Anticonvulsants
Carbamazepine
Phenytoin
Valproic Acid

Figure

  • Fig. 1 Flow diagram of study selection.

  • Fig. 2 Effects estimates for the association between the use of AEDs and CA-IMT. AEDs: antiepileptic drugs, CA-IMT: carotid artery intima-media thickness, MD: mean difference.

  • Fig. 3 Funnel plot for studies of the use of AEDs and CA-IMT. AEDs: antiepileptic drugs, CA-IMT: carotid artery intima-media thickness, MD: mean difference.

  • Fig. 4 Effects estimates for the association between the use of CBZ and CA-IMT. CA-IMT: carotid artery intima-media thickness, CBZ: carbamazepine, MD: mean difference.

  • Fig. 5 Effects estimates for the association between the use of VPA and CA-IMT. CA-IMT: carotid artery intima-media thickness, MD: mean difference, VPA: valproic acid.


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