INCIDENCE AND RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH NEUROLOGICAL ADVERSE REACTIONS IN FOCAL EPILEPSY PATIENTS USING LEVETIRACETAM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69598/tbps.19.2.165-175Keywords:
focal epilepsy, levetiracetam, neurological adverse reactionsAbstract
Levetiracetam is commonly prescribed as an anticonvulsant drug to treat epilepsy, but it may also cause neuropsychiatric adverse events such as drowsiness, aggression, and depression. However, the incidence and risk factors associated with neuropsychiatric adverse events to levetiracetam among patients with focal epilepsy in Thailand remain unclear. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence and risk factors associated with neuropsychiatric adverse events in focal epilepsy patients receiving levetiracetam. For this purpose, we retrospectively collected data from the medical chart review of patients with focal epilepsy between January 2018 and December 2021 who received treatment in the epilepsy clinic at Chulalongkorn Hospital. The results revelaed that of the total of 220 patients included in the study, 78 patients (35.3%) experienced neuropsychiatric adverse events. Females, persons of young age, and patients with drug-resistant epilepsy have risk factors associated with neuropsychiatric adverse events. Therefore, it can be concluded that the incidence of neuropsychiatric adverse events in this study was not different from that of previous studies. The female gender, persons of young age, and patients with drug-resistant epilepsy should be closely monitored.
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