title: Serum vitamin E concentration in patients with severe multiple handicaps treated with anticonvulsants.
abstract: Serum vitamin E concentrations were measured in 47 severely handicapped patients, aged from 4 to 23 years, and in 22 controls. Thirty-three of the handicapped patients with seizures were treated with phenytoin and phenobarbital; the remaining 14 patients were not treated. The serum vitamin E levels were lower in the handicapped than in controls. Among the handicapped, those treated with anticonvulsants showed much lower levels of serum vitamin E than those untreated. Ten patients under anticonvulsant therapy were selected to receive d-1-alpha tocopherol acetate, 100 mg/day, based on their low serum vitamin E levels (range of 0.27 to 0.61 mg/100 ml). After one month of tocopherol treatment, both their serum vitamin E levels and hemolysis tests returned to normal. During a three-month tocopherol treatment period, both the frequencies of seizure attacks and the electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns remained unchanged. Supplementation with vitamin E is recommended in some patients under anticonvulsant therapy.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D004569:Electroencephalography; D006801:Humans; D012640:Seizures / Q000188:drug therapy; D013997:Time Factors; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000097:blood* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014811:Vitamin E Deficiency / Q000139:chemically induced*
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D014810:Vitamin E