Effects of levetiracetam and lacosamide on therapeutic efficacy and neural function in patients with epilepsy

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of levetiracetam tablets and lacosamide (LCM) on therapeutic efficacy and neural function in patients with epilepsy. We assigned 252 patients with refractory partial seizures admitted to our hospital to receive either levetiracetam tablets [120 patients, the control group (CG)] or levetiracetam tablets combined with LCM [132 patients, the joint group (JG)]. The bone mineral density and neural function between the two groups at 6 months before and after treatment were compared. The total response rate was higher in the JG than in the CG (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the comparison of the multiple indexes between the two groups before treatment (P>0.05). The frequency of seizures was reduced after treatment in the two groups, however, it was lower in the JG compared with the CG (P<0.05). The levels of neurological indicators were significantly reduced after treatment in the two groups (P<0.05), however, the reduction was more marked in the JG than in the CG. The bone mineral density (BMD) of the femoral neck decreased after treatment in the two groups (P<0.05), but there was no difference between the two groups after treatment (P>0.05). The calcium content decreased after treatment in the two groups (P<0.05), but there was no difference between the two groups after treatment (P>0.05). The comparison of other bone metabolism markers between the two groups exhibited no significant differences. The combination therapy greatly increased the quality of life score and the 1-year drug retention rate. To sum up, levetiracetam tablets combined with LCM significantly enhanced the therapeutic effect and improved the neural function in patients with refractory partial seizures, however this therapy may cause a slight adverse effect on BMD and bone metabolism in the short term.

Safety and Tolerability of Lacosamide in Patients With Epilepsy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Of the sixteen cohort studies ( Villanueva et al, 2012 ; Fountain et al, 2013 ; Verrotti et al, 2013 ; Brodie et al, 2014 ; Giraldez et al, 2015 ; Zadeh et al, 2015 ; McGinnis and Kessler, 2016 ; Kurth et al, 2017 ; Sarkis et al, 2017 ; Dogan et al, 2018 ; Maloney et al, 2018 ; Neal et al, 2018 ; Villanueva et al, 2018 ; Chiara Del et al, 2019 ; Ferreira et al, 2019 ; Liu et al, 2020 ), nine were retrospective cohort studies, six were prospective studies, and one was an ambidirectional cohort study. These studies included totally 2,794 patients aged 1 month to 92 years, with two studies involving a total of 106 children.…”