HOMEOSTATIC CHANGES DURING ANTICONVULSANT
MEDICATION IN CHILDREN
MICHAELA DOBRE1, COSTINELA GEORGESCU2*, VICTORITA STEFANESCU3,
MAGDALENA CUCIUREANU4, AUREL NECHITA5, MANUELA ARBUNE5
1Department of Functional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, “Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati, 35, Al. I
Cuza Street, Galati, Romania
2Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, “Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati, 35,
Al. I Cuza Street, Galati, Romania
3Department of Morphological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, “Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati, 35, Al.
I Cuza Street, Galati, Romania
4Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, "Gr. T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16, Universitatii
Street, Iasi, Romania
5Clinical Department, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, “Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati, 35, Al. I Cuza Street,
Galati, Romania
*corresponding author: costinelag@gmail.com
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Abstract:
Approximately 3% of the paediatric population presents one seizure episode till the age of 15, half of which are associated
with fever [8]. Around 1% of children exhibit epilepsy-recurring seizures. Although having known side effects,
carbamazepine and valproic acid still hold supremacy in the hierarchy of anticonvulsant therapy. The aim of this study was to
establish the prevalence of abnormal haematological and biochemical values in children receiving carbamazepine or valproic
acid therapy who attended Clinical Emergency Hospital for Children, Galati, Romania, assessing the vulnerability of the
paediatric population to the side effects caused by this type of medication. Moreover, simultaneous measurement of serum
concentrations of carbamazepine and valproic acid represents a practical way of assessing the quality of treatment,
facilitating dose adjustment in order to obtain an optimum cost/therapeutic benefit ratio.

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