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. 2021 Mar;50(3):520-530.
doi: 10.18502/ijph.v50i3.5593.

Comparison of the Therapeutic Effects of Sodium Valproate and Levetiracetam on Pediatric Epilepsy and the Effects of Nerve Growth Factor and γ-Aminobutyric Acid

Min Chen  1 , Yazhou Jiang  2 , Li Ma  1 , Xuedian Zhou  3 , Nuan Wang  4
Affiliations

Comparison of the Therapeutic Effects of Sodium Valproate and Levetiracetam on Pediatric Epilepsy and the Effects of Nerve Growth Factor and γ-Aminobutyric Acid

Min Chen et al. Iran J Public Health. 2021 Mar.

Abstract

Background: We aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of sodium valproate combined with levetiracetam on pediatric epilepsy and the effects of nerve growth factor and γ-aminobutyric acid.

Methods: Eighty-three epileptic children admitted to Xuzhou Municipal Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University (Xuzhou, China) from Jan 2018 to Nov 2019 were collected and divided into a control group (40 cases, treated with sodium valproate alone) and an observation group (43 cases, treated with sodium valproate combined with levetiracetam). The therapeutic effect and incidence of adverse reactions were observed. The levels of nerve growth factor (NGF), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE) of children were compared. Changes of cognitive function and the total effective rate were evaluated. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors affecting the therapeutic effect.

Results: After treatment, NGF, GABA and NSE in the observation group were significantly improved compared with those before treatment. The cognitive function of the observation group was significantly improved after treatment when compared with the control group. The total effective rate in the observation group was higher than that in the control group. Adverse reactions in the observation group were less than those in the control group. Seizure type, NGF, GABA, NSE and treatment methods were independent risk factors affecting the therapeutic effect of pediatric epilepsy.

Conclusion: The application of sodium valproate combined with levetiracetam in the treatment of pediatric epilepsy is helpful to improve the overall therapeutic effect, significantly improve the cognitive function of children, and improve the levels of NGF, GABA and NSE.

Keywords: Gamma-aminobutyric acid; Levetiracetam; Nerve growth factor; Pediatric epilepsy; Sodium valproate.

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Figures

Fig. 1:
Fig. 1:
Comparison of NSE, NGF, and GABA between the two groups A) Comparison of NGF levels before and after treatment between the two groups. B) Comparison of GABA levels before and after treatment between the two groups. C) Comparison of NSE levels before and after treatment between the two groups. Note: * P<0.05, *** P<0.001
Fig. 2:
Fig. 2:
Comparison of cognitive function between the two groups before and after treatment A) Comparison of VIQ results before and after treatment between the two groups. B) Comparison of PIQ results between the two groups before and after treatment. C) Comparison of FIQ levels before and after treatment between the two groups. Note: *** P<0.001
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