Affiliations: Department of Forensic Medicine and Clinical
Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt | Department of Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medicine,
Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt | Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta
University, Tanta, Egypt | Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta
University, Tanta, Egypt
Note: [] Correspondence: Amr A. Donia, Pediatric Department, Faculty of
Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt. Tel.: +20 1090184298; Fax: +20 40
3407734; E-mail: amdonia@yahoo.com
Abstract: Immunologic disorders have been noticed in epileptic patients and
were attributed to either the direct effect of the disease or the effect of
antiepileptic drug therapy. Published human data on the effect of sodium
valproate on immunoglobulin serum levels are scarce, and results from different
studies are inconsistent and sometimes conflicting. Hence, this study was
conducted to evaluate the potential immune-toxic effect of sodium valproate in
male children with focal epileptic seizures. Thirty healthy children, as well
as 22 untreated and 27 valproate-treated children with focal seizures were
enrolled in this study. The serum levels of IgA, IgM and IgG were measured in
all participants using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Samples from
valproate-treated epileptics were also used to assess serum sodium valproate
levels. We found that valproate-treated patients had a significant reduction in
the serum IgA levels compared to healthy and epileptic controls. However,
significantly higher serum IgM and IgG concentrations were found in untreated
patients compared with the healthy controls. Correlation analysis revealed
significant negative correlation between serum IgA concentration and serum
sodium valproate level. We concluded that sodium valproate therapy in epileptic
children with focal seizures was associated with reduction in serum IgA levels.
Serum immunoglobulins should be frequently measured in cases under long-term
sodium valproate therapy.
