NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Pharmacogenetic diagnostics could be useful in predicting patients’ response to the common antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) phenytoin and carbamazepine, according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition, published online March 28.
Gaining control over seizures using phenytoin or carbamazepine can be a time-consuming titration process. The new findings “set the stage” for improving this process.
Dr. David B. Goldstein, at University College London in the UK, and colleagues obtained blood samples for genotyping from patients with epilepsy who were being treated with carbamazepine (n = 425) or phenytoin (n = 281). Maximum dosages of the AEDs were recorded for each subject.
Maximum dosage of both drugs was associated with a polymorphism of the SCN1A gene (IVS5-91 G>A), which encodes the alpha-subunit of voltage-sensitive sodium channels in neurons that is targeted by the two drugs.
“It is very likely that this polymorphism is itself the causal polymorphism for altered sensitivity to phenytoin and carbamazepine,” the authors write. “It may be clinically relevant to determine whether some individuals can safely be given more rapid dose increases” by analyzing the SCN1A genotype, they add.
Source: Proc Natl Acad Sci 2005. [ Google search on this article ]
MeSH Headings:Ion Channels: Membrane Glycoproteins: Membrane Proteins: Sodium ChannelsCopyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
