Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Cocuk Sagligi ve Hastaliklari Dergisi, cilt.41, sa.4, ss.473-483, 1998 (Scopus)
Anticonvulsant (AC) drugs lead to rickets and osteomalacia caused by induction of hepatic microsomal enzymes and inhibition of gastrointestinal calcium (Ca) absorption. They also affects the endocrine system by acting directly on peripheral hormones, increasing clearance of hormones, and affecting the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. In this article, we present three children with epilepsy and mental retardation who were bedridden, aged between 13-15 years, and who developed severe rickets due to long-term high- dose AC drug therapy. Two out of three patients also developed hypothyroidism in addition to rickets. In two patients, biochemical and radiological findings of rickets improved with tapering of AC drugs and vitamin D treatment. We suggest that long-term and combined administration of AC drugs in epileptic patients who are inmobilized combined with a lack of sufficient sunlight exposure may cause disturbances of vitamin D metabolism and the endocrinologic system. We recommend that such patients be followed regularly and that prophylactic vitamin D supplementation should be given in order to prevent the complications.