Key result
Epilepsy patients treated with carbamazepine or valproic acid had significantly higher QTd, QTcd, and Pd values compared to healthy controls (p < 0.01).
Why the study?
Patients with epilepsy have a higher risk of sudden unexplained death and may exhibit cardiac repolarization abnormalities during interictal periods.
Does carbamazepine or valproic acid treatment alter cardiac repolarization indices in patients with generalized tonic-clonic seizures compared to healthy controls?
Cross-Sectional (n=129)
Does carbamazepine or valproic acid treatment alter cardiac repolarization indices in patients with generalized tonic-clonic seizures compared to healthy controls?
Epilepsy patients treated with carbamazepine or valproic acid exhibit significant cardiac repolarization abnormalities compared to healthy controls, potentially increasing the risk of ventricular arrhythmias.
Associated repolarization changes may heighten arrhythmia risk in treated epilepsy; cross-sectional data leave causality and clinical impact open.
Background and Objectives: Epilepsy patients have a higher risk of sudden unexplained death compared to the rest of the population. Cardiac repolarization abnormalities might be seen in epilepsy during interictal periods. We aimed to evaluate the changes in electrocardiography (ECG) parameters in generalized tonic-clonic seizure patients treated with carbamazepine or valproic acid (VPA) drug. Materials and Methods: A totally of 129 subjects (66 epilepsy patients, 63 healthy subjects) were enrolled in the study. Of the patients, 36 were on carbamazepine and 30 were on VPA. There were 12-lead ECGs obtained from all participants. RR interval (time between consecutive R peaks), QT interval (defines the period of ventricular repolarization), corrected QT (QT interval corrected for heart rate; QTc), QTc-maximum (QTc-max), QTc-minimum (QTc-min), QTc dispersion (QTcd), P (atrial depolarization )-maximum (P-max), P-minimum (P-min) and P dispersion (Pd) were measured. Results: QTd (QT dispersion), QTcd, and Pd values were significantly higher in the patients compared to the controls (p < 0.01). QTcd, Pd, and P-max values were statistically higher in male patients compared to healthy male controls. QTcd values were significantly higher in female patients using carbamazepine compared to the female patients on VPA and healthy controls (p = 0.01). Male patients using VPA had significantly higher QTcd values against the male population in carbamazepine and control groups. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that QTd, QTcd, and Pd values were significantly higher in epilepsy patients than in healthy controls. In addition, female patients using carbamazepine and male patients using VPA were prone to ventricular arrhythmia compared to the control group.
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Asoğlu et al. (2020) conducted a cross-sectional in Epilepsy (generalized tonic-clonic seizures) (n=129). Carbamazepine or Valproic Acid vs. Healthy controls was evaluated on QTd, QTcd, and Pd values (p=< 0.01). Epilepsy patients treated with carbamazepine or valproic acid had significantly higher QTd, QTcd, and Pd values compared to healthy controls (p < 0.01).
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