Epilepsy, Atherosclerosis, Myocardial Infarction, and Carbamazepine

Epileptic patients receiving medications such as phenytoin or phenobarbital have been noted to have an exceedingly low incidence of myocardial infarction, but children treated with carbamazepine have shown alteration of their serum lipid profile that could predispose them to atherosclerosis. This report seems to corroborate this point and describes the findings in an 11-year-old boy who died following a major seizure, rhabdomyolysis, and renal failure. The autopsy demonstrated that he had marked coronary atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. The child had been treated with carbamazepine for more than 10 years. (J Child Neurol 2003;18: 150—151).