Summary:Purpose: The goal of the study was to evaluate the tubular renal function in children and adolescents who are undergoing monotherapy with sodium valproate (VPA), carbamazepine (CBZ), and phenobarbital (PB).Methods: The urinary excretion of N-acetyl-P-glucosaminidase (NAG ) , (3 -galacto sidase ((3 -Gal) , al anine-amino-peptidase (AAP), and a,-microglobulin (a,M) was measured in 58 epileptic patients (29 girls and 29 boys), aged 12.6 & 3.9 years, who were subdivided into three groups according to their therapy. Fifty healthy sex-and age-matched children served as controls. The measurements were taken before the beginning of therapy and after 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years of therapy.Results: Before the beginning of therapy, there were no significant differences in NAG, (3-Gal, AAP, and a , M values between the control group and the three groups of epileptic children. After 6 months of therapy, patients treated with VPA and CBZ showed a significant increase in the urinary excretion of NAG and P-Gal compared with baseline data and control values. After 1 and 2 years, these patients showed a persistence of the changes found after 6 months of therapy. In patients treated with PB, we did not find any significant variation in NAG, P-Gal, AAP, and a , M urinary excretion.Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that in patients treated with VPA and CBZ, an impairment of tubular function can be present, whereas PB does not cause any significant change.
