Assessment of serum zinc level in childhood epilepsy treated with long-term anti epileptic drug (aed

Almost 85% of epilepsy patients which is a common neurolotical disease lives in developing world. Mostly the disease start in childhoold in more than half o the cases. Long term use of antiepileptic drugs may alter serum zinc level.   The purpose of the present study was to assess the serum zinc level in childhood epilepsy treated with long-term Anti Epileptic Drug (AED). This cross-sectional study was carried out in the outdoor and indoor patient department of Pediatric neurology, BSMMU during the period from March 2013 to August 2013. Sample size was one hundred, among these fifty were case e.g. epileptic child who had received  anti epileptic drugs (Carbamazepine and/or Valproic acid) for more than three months and fifty werecontrol e.g. newly diagnosed epileptic child, who have not yet received antiepileptic drugs.  In this study, among100 epileptic child, mean serum zinc level in case group was 0.36(±0.20)(µg/ml)and incontrol group was 0.52(±0.26) (µg/ml),which was statistically significant (p<0.05). The use of one drug or multiple drugs in the treatment of epileptic patients has made the significant low serum zinc level.