Effect of antiepileptic drugs on the thyroid gland in children with epilepsy (preliminary report).

Description of the side effects of antiepileptic drugs is commonly encountered in paediatric practice. In view of this we investigated the structural and functional changes undergone by the thyroid glands of epileptic children during the course of a long-term antiepileptic treatment. The study included 22 children with epilepsy aged 3.5 to 15 years. The thyroid status was assessed using clinical, ultrasound, and radioimmunological examinations. Clinical signs of initial hyperplasia of the thyroid gland were observed in 3 children. Volume abnormalities of the thyroid gland were found in 4 (18.2%) of the children. Abnormalities in the thyroid hormones and thyrotropin serum concentration were found in 5 children. The ultrasound examination revealed slight structural changes, decreased colloid uptake, and strip-like sprouts in 63.6% of the cases. These changes were significantly more common in children undergoing anticonvulsant polytherapy (12 of 22 children). The most general mechanisms of influence of the antiepileptic drugs on the thyroid status are discussed.