Analysis of the Clinical Effects of Sodium Valproate and Levetiracetam in the Treatment of Women with Epilepsy during Pregnancy.

Haiqiong Lv,Xiaoying Zhao,Jian Yu

doi:10.1155/2021/5962200

Abstract

Objective To explore the clinical effects of sodium valproate and levetiracetam in the treatment of women with epilepsy during pregnancy. Methods The clinical data of 124 women with epilepsy during pregnancy who received monotherapy with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in our hospital from September 2017 to January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the type of medication taken by the patients, they were recorded as the sodium valproate group (the VPA group, n = 56) and the levetiracetam group (the LEV group, n = 68 cases). The effects and the maternal and infant outcomes after treatment were compared between the two groups. The neuron-specific enolase (NSE), cognitive function-related parameters (brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and myelin basic protein (MBP)), and related inflammatory factors (tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) α and interleukin- (IL-) 6) levels were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. Results After treatment, the total clinical effective rate of the LEV group was 91.18% higher than that of the VPA group 73.21%, and the frequency and duration of seizures were lower than those of the VPA group (P < 0.05). After treatment, the probability of gestational hypertension, depression during pregnancy, low-weight infants, and neonatal deformities in the LEV group was lower than that in the VPA group (P < 0.05). After treatment, the levels of NSE, MBP, TNF-α, and IL-6 in the two groups decreased, and the levels of BDNF increased, and the LEV group changed significantly compared with the VPA group (P < 0.05). Conclusion Compared with sodium valproate monotherapy, levetiracetam is more effective in controlling seizures and improving maternal and infant outcomes in women with epilepsy during pregnancy and can effectively regulate their neurological and cognitive functions and reduce the serum inflammation factor level.

Highlights

Epilepsy is a chronic transient brain dysfunction syndrome caused by the abnormally synchronized discharge of the patients’ brain neurons [1]
According to the type of medication taken by the patients, they were recorded as the sodium valproate group and the levetiracetam group. ere was no statistical difference between the general information in Table 1 between the VPA group and the LEV group, and they were comparable (P > 0.05)
The total clinical effective rate of the LEV group was 91.18% higher than that of the VPA group 73.21% (P < 0.05) (Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

Epilepsy is a chronic transient brain dysfunction syndrome caused by the abnormally synchronized discharge of the patients’ brain neurons [1]. Existing data show that compared with women of normal childbearing age, women of childbearing age with epilepsy have lower marriage and fertility rates and have a higher risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth [5, 6]. With the rich selection of AEDs and the increase in the range of indications (such as pain, migraine, and mood disorders), the number of female patients treated with AEDs during pregnancy has increased significantly [9, 10].

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Results

Conclusion