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Paed Epilepsy – Improve growth and bone mass

Evidence Summary
• In a cross-sectional study of 27 children with epilepsy who have been treated with valproate and/or lamotrigine for 2 or more years, the inactive group had significantly lower body height percentile and lower total bone mineral density (1).

Quality of Evidence
• B – moderate/low quality
Strength of Recommendation
• Grade 2 – weak recommendation


Conclusion
• Inactivity led to significantly lower body height percentile and total BMD in patients on long term valproate and/or lamotrigine in one cross-sectional study. Physical activity could be recommended to mitigate this however more studies are required to build up clinical evidence. Current evidence is limited relating specifically to children with epilepsy.

References

  1. Guo et al; Long-term Valproate and Lamotrigine Treatment May be a Marker for Reduced Growth and Bone Mass in Children with Epilepsy. Epilepsia 2001; 42(9): 1141-1147