title: Effects of Oxcarbazepine and Levetiracetam on Calcium, Ionized Calcium, and 25-OH Vitamin-D3 Levels in Patients with Epilepsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The primary objective of the present study was to further elucidate the effects of oxcarbazepine (OXC) and levetiracetam (LEV) monotherapies on the bone health status of patients with epilepsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included 48 patients who attended our epilepsy outpatient clinic, had a diagnosis of epilepsy, and were undergoing either OXC or LEV monotherapy and 42 healthy control subjects. The demographic and clinical features of the patients, including gender, age, onset of disease, daily drug dosage, and duration of disease, were noted. Additionally, the calcium, ionized calcium, and 25-OH vitamin-D3 levels of the participants were prospectively evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 25-OH vitamin-D3, calcium, and ionized calcium levels of the patients taking OXC were significantly lower than those of the control group. These levels did not significantly differ between the patients taking LEV and the control group, but there was a significant negative relationship between daily drug dose and ionized calcium levels in the LEV patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the present study, anti-epileptic drugs altered the calcium, ionized calcium, and 25-OH vitamin-D3 levels of epilepsy patients and resulted in bone loss, abnormal mineralization, and fractures. These findings suggest that the calcium, ionized calcium, and 25-OH vitamin-D3 levels of patients with epilepsy should be regularly assessed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Bakirkoy Education and Research Hospital for Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Duygu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aksoy
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Bakirkoy Education and Research Hospital for Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Betül Tekin
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Güveli
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Bakirkoy Education and Research Hospital for Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Pelin Doğan
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Ak
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Bakirkoy Education and Research Hospital for Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hüseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sarı
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Bakirkoy Education and Research Hospital for Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Dilek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ataklı
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Bakirkoy Education and Research Hospital for Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Baki
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Arpacı
keywords: 25-OH vitamin D3; Antiepileptic drugs; Bone disease; Levetiracetam; Oxcarbazepine