Effects of Carbamazepine and Valproate on Reproductive Endocrine Function in Male Epilepsy Patients.
Abstract number :
J.02
Submission category :
Year :
2001
Submission ID :
614
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/1/2001 12:00:00 AM
Published date :
Dec 1, 2001, 06:00 AM
Authors :
E. Tauboll, MD, Ph.D., Department of Neurology, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway; L.S. Roste, MD, Department of Neurology, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway; L. Morkrid, MD, Ph.D., Department of Clinical Chemistry, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway; T. Bjornenak, RN, D
RATIONALE: Reduced fertility, hyposexuality and reproductive endocrine disorders have been reported in men with epilepsy. This has been attributed both to the epilepsy itself, but also to the use of antiepileptic drugs. We therefore studied the effect of two commonly used antiepileptic drugs on serum hormone levels in male epilepsy patients.
METHODS: 35 male epilepsy patients, aged 19 - 40 years, on monotherapy with either carbamazepine (CBZ) (n=19) or valproate (VPA) (n=16) for at least 2 years were included in the study together with 38 carefully age-matched healthy controls. Serum levels of testosterone, SHBG, free androgen index (FAI), LH and FSH were measured.
RESULTS: Both LH and FSH were significantly reduced (-32% and -43%, respectively) in the VPA, but not in the CBZ group. FAI was 19% lower in the CBZ (p[lt]0.05) and 11% in the VPA treated patients (n.s.). There was a significant age-dependency for FAI (p[lt]0.001), SHBG (p[lt]0.05) and FSH (p[lt]0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: Free androgen index was reduced in all epilepsy patients independent of the drug used, although the effect was most marked for CBZ treated patients. Only VPA lead to a significant reduction in gonadotropin levels indicating a drug specific effect. The marked age dependency for FAI, SHBG and FSH underlines the importance of using highly age-matched controls in studies of the effects of antiepileptic drugs on reproductive endocrine function.
Support: No commercial funding