Seizure frequency and sex steroids in women with partial epilepsy on antiepileptic therapy
Murialdo G et al. – Actual changes in sex steroid levels and estradiol (E2)/ progesterone (Pg) ratios did not explain an increased seizure frequency in adult women with antiepileptic drug (AED)-treated partial epilepsy (PE), but pts with more severe disease showed more relevant changes in their sex hormone profile and impaired Pg levels during the luteal phase. Methods- Cross-sectional observational study of relationships between sex steroids, seizure frequency, and other clinical parameters in 72 adult women with PE on AED treatments and 30 healthy controls
- Determination of serum E2, Pg, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) levels, free E2 (fE2), and E2/Pg ratios during follicular and luteal phases
- Correlation of hormonal data with seizure frequency, age, body weight, body mass index (BMI), disease onset and duration, and AED therapies
Results- Lower E2, fE2, and Pg and higher SHBG levels in both ovarian phases for pts vs controls
- No significant changes in hormone levels and in prevalence of anovulatory cycles between pts grouped by seizure frequency
- Luteal fE2 and Pg levels chiefly impaired in women with more frequent seizures, mostly undergoing AED polytherapies, but not in pts with absent or rarer seizures for pts vs controls
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