Association of Dyslipidemia and Hyperhomocysteinemia in epileptic patients on carbamazepine monotherapy.

Abstract

Objectives: To observe the association between dyslipidemia and homocysteine level in epileptic patients; especially on carbamazepine monotherapy. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Setting: Neurology Department and Epilepsy Centre of Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre, Karachi. Period: From January 2015 – January 2016. Material & Methods: Total 300 subjects, aged more than 15 years were included and divided into three groups.  Group A (100 healthy individuals) was control group, Group B (100 newly diagnosed epileptic patients without antiepileptic therapy), Group C (100 epileptic patients on Carbamazepine therapy, which was further subdivided into C-I (n=33) had epileptic patients on Carbamazepine therapy less than 1 year, C-II (n=33) comprised of epileptic patients on Carbamazepine therapy 1-2 years and C-III (n=33) had epileptic patients on Carbamazepine therapy more than 2 years. Serum lipid profile and homocysteine levels were measured. Results: In patients with different durations of carbamazepine monotherapy; a noteworthy incremental trend in the levels of homocysteine, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, very low density lipoprotein cholesterol was observed. Homocysteine was found positively correlated with total cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, very low density lipoprotein cholesterol. Conclusion: In our study dyslipidemia was associated with hyperhomocysteinemia, which in turn was correlated with atherosclerosis in CBZ treated epileptic patients.