title: Blood levels of cytokines in children with idiopathic partial and generalized epilepsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Antiepileptic drugs have been reported to reduce the levels of serum immunoglobulins and affect the production and levels of certain cytokines. We investigated the effects of valproic acid (VPA) and topiramate (TPM) on the blood levels of interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α in children with idiopathic generalized and partial epilepsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty prepubertal children aged 6-12 (mean 8.3±1.7) years, 19/40 (47.5%) female and 21/40 (52.5%) male, with idiopathic generalized or partial epilepsy diagnosed in the child neurology outpatient clinic were included. The patients were divided into two treatment groups: 20 were treated with VPA and 20 with TPM. The plasma levels of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α were measured using ELISA method before the initiation of treatment and at the 6th and 12th months of the treatment. The Chi-square test was used to compare qualitative data. To compare the periods, recurrence measurements were done using variance analysis and Freidman 2-sided variance analysis. p<0.05 was considered as statistically significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the VPA group, the levels of IL-1α significantly increased at 12 months while the levels of IL-10 decreased at 6 months of treatment compared to values before treatment (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α (p>0.05). In the TPM group, lower levels of IL-10 were observed at 6th and 12th months compared to the onset of treatment (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study demonstrated that VPA and TPM might lead to changes in the levels of cytokines in epileptic patients. The next step would be to investigate the relation of these findings to the outcome of epilepsy and response to treatment.
authors.affiliation: Turgut Ozal University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Child Neurology, Ankara, Turkey. mjgsonmez@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Fatma Mujgan
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Sonmez
authors.forename: Hepsen Mine
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Serin
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alver
authors.forename: Rezzan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aliyazicioglu
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cansu
authors.forename: Gamze
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Can
authors.forename: Dilek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zaman
mesh_terms: D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D004829:Epilepsy, Generalized / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D005632:Fructose / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D000077236:Topiramate; D014635:Valproic Acid / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D016207:Cytokines; D000077236:Topiramate; D005632:Fructose; D014635:Valproic Acid
keywords: Child; Epilepsy; ILs; TNF-α; Topiramate; Valproic acid