The pattern of female genital hormonal disease in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy

Abstract

Objective: to reveal and investigate hormonal characteristics in women of childbearing age in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME).Patients and methods. The concentrations of sex steroid and tropic hormones were analyzed in 48 women of childbearing age who suffered from JME and received monotherapy or bitherapy with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) for more than a year. For comparison of their values, a control group included 15 healthy women who did not take AEDs. Results and discussion. 66.7% of the patients were found to have ovarian hormonal dysfunction characterized by a significant increase in the level of luteinizing hormone and testosterone in the follicular phase of the cycle and a decrease in that of progesterone in the luteal phase compared with the control group. The hormonal deviations were influenced by disease duration and age-related onset in JME. Generalized tonicclonic seizures concurrent with myoclonic ones, bitherapy, and disease onset before menarche and in the period of the menstrual cycle favored the development of hormonal deviations to a greater extent than myoclonic seizures only, monotherapy, and disease onset after the establishment of the cycle. Valproates were most commonly used in the therapy of JME; however, there were no significant differences in the hormonal deficiencies when different chemical groups of AEDs were administered.

Keywords

• juvenile myoclonic epilepsy
• antiepileptic therapy
• ovarian hormonal dysfunction
• follicle-stimulating hormone
• luteinizing hormone
• estradiol
• progesterone
• testosterone