Effect of valproic acid monotherapy on serum leptin and ghrelin levels in epileptic children (literature review)

The incidence of epilepsy varies between industrialized countries and developing ones. Anti-epileptic drugs are the standard of care for epilepsy management with sodium valproate being the most commonly prescribed anti-epileptic drug in children with epilepsy. Valproic acid (VPA) is a first generation anti-epileptic drug used widely as a monotherapy or part of polytherapy for a variety of seizures in children more than two years of age. It is stated that long-term treatment with VPA is associated with risks such as weight gain, hyperinsulinemia, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. However,the exact pathogenesis of weight gain has not been clearly identified pathogenetically. Studying the effect of VPA monotherapy on possible causative factors (leptin and ghrelin levels) of weight gain would help in undertaking appropriate preventive actions alongside VPA therapy. We review the available literature on the research carried out on this subject in the following sections.