Evaluation of serum ghrelin and neuropeptide Y levels in epileptic children under valproate treatment

Amaç: Tartı alımı ve obezite uzun süreli valproik asit tedavisi alan epileptik hastalarda oldukça sık rastlanan ve etyolojisi net olarak bilinmeyen bir yan etkidir. Bu çalışmada valproik asit tedavisi alan çocuklarda meydana gelen tartı alınımı ile serum ghrelin ve nöropeptid Y düzeylerinin ilişkisi araştırılmıştır. Hastalar ve Yöntemler: Bu çalışmaya epilepsi tanısıyla takip edilen, ilk defa çocuk polikliniğimize başvuran ve sadece valproik asit tedavisi alan 25 çocuk hasta (14 erkek, 11 kız; ort. yaş 7.7±3.8; dağılım 4-12) alınmıştır. Hastalar tedavi öncesi ve tedavi başlangıcından bir yıl sonra vücut kitle indeksi, serum ghrelin ve nöropeptid Y düzeyleri bakılarak değerlendirilmeye alınmıştır. Bulgular: Çalışma sonunda olguların %48'inde obezite gelişirken, ortalama vücut kitle indeksi ölçümlerinde artma, serum ghrelin ve nöropeptid Y düzeylerinde ise azalma gözlenmiştir. Sonuç: Bu çalışma valproik asit tedavisi gören çocuklarda serum ghrelin ve nöropeptid Y düzeylerinde azalma olduğunu göstermiştir. Valproik asit tedavisi ile ilişkili tartı alımında etkili faktörlerin değerlendirilmesinde daha uzun süreli, daha fazla hastanın katılımında kontrollü çalışmalara ihtiyaç vardır.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Kilo artışı, Nöropeptid Y, Valproik asit, Obezite

Valproat tedavisi alan çocuklarda serum ghrelin ve nöropeptid Y düzeylerinin değerlendirilmesi

Objectives: Weight gain and obesity are also among the side effects of long-term valproate treatment, whose etiology remains unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between weight gain, serum neuropeptide Y and ghrelin levels in children taking valproate treatment. Patients and Methods: Our study included 25 epileptic children (14 males, 11 females; mean age 7.7±3.8 years; range 4 to 12 years) who were taking only valproate monotherapy at the outpatient clinics. All study participants were analyzed in terms of body mass index, serum neuropeptide Y and ghrelin levels before treatment and after a follow-up period of one year. Results: At the end of follow-up, the mean body mass index measurements increased, whereas the mean serum neuropeptide Y and ghrelin levels decreased; twelve patients (48%) gained obesity. Conclusion: This study demonstrated low serum ghrelin and neuropeptide Y levels in children receiving valproate treatment. New studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods are needed to evaluate the mechanism of weight gain due to valproate treatment in this population.

Keywords:

Weight Gain, Neuropeptide Y, Valproic Acid, Obesity,

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