Increased bone turnover in prepubertal, pubertal, and postpubertal patients receiving carbamazepine.

PURPOSE

To study the markers of bone turnover in epilepsy patients in the different stages of the pubertal growth before and after the beginning of carbamazepine (CBZ) monotherapy.

METHODS

We have investigated bone turnover in 60 epilepsy patients treated with CBZ. They were stratified according to pubertal stage and compared with a control group of 60 sex- and age-matched healthy children.

RESULTS

After 2 years of therapy, we found higher values of the serum markers of bone formation [bone alkaline phosphatase (bone ALP), osteocalcin (OC), carboxy-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP), amino-terminal propeptide of type III procollagen (PIIINP)], and of bone resorption [carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP) and the urinary cross-linked N-telopeptides of type I collagen (NTX)] in patients than in control subjects, in presence of a normal vitamin D metabolism.

CONCLUSIONS

CBZ induces an increase of bone formation and of bone resorption that seems to be independent of the pubertal stage.