Epilepsy Research (2008) 80, 229—230 journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/epilepsyres SHORT COMMUNICATION Antinuclear antibodies in children with epilepsy treated by carbamazepine Ali Akbar Asadi-Pooya * , Kamiar Asadi-Pooya Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran Received 7 February 2008; received in revised form 31 March 2008; accepted 6 April 2008 Available online 19 May 2008 KEYWORDS Antinuclear antibody; Carbamazepine; Children; Epilepsy Summary Purpose: An increased prevalence of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) has been reported among patients with epilepsy. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of ANAs in children with epilepsy who were taking carbamazepine as monotherapy. Methods: This was an observational, descriptive study at Motahary outpatient Clinic, Shi- raz, Iran. All patients with epilepsy between the ages 3—18 years, taking carbamazepine as monotherapy, were studied and blood samples were obtained for ANA and other tests. Results: Totally, 58 patients (38 boys and 20 girls) were studied. The mean age of the patients was 11.5 ± 2.6 years. The mean duration of carbamazepine therapy before ANA measurement was 14 ± 6 months. ANA was positive in only one patient. ANA had a speckled pattern and titer of 1:80 dilution in that patient. It was negative in the remaining patients. Conclusions: The prevalence of ANA is not considerable among children with epilepsy treated by carbamazepine. Moreover, this inconsiderable rate of positive ANA seems to have no clinical implications. Therefore, it seems that there is no need to be concerned of this side-effect of carbamazepine in children, unless clinically indicated. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Introduction An increased prevalence of autoantibodies has been reported among patients with epilepsy. The prevalence of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) in patients with epilepsy has been reported to be as high as 24% (Peltola et al., 2000). ∗ Corresponding author at: No. 54, 3rd Alley, Khakshenasi Street, Shiraz 71438-34719, Iran. Tel.: +98 7112272267. E-mail addresses: aliasadipooya@yahoo.com, asadipoa@sums.ac.ir (A.A. Asadi-Pooya). The occurrence of ANAs and lupus-like syndrome in patients with epilepsy has traditionally been regarded as a conse- quence of antiepileptic drugs. However, seizure can be the first manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (Jain, 1991). In a review of 80 patients with SLE-like syndrome associ- ated with carbamazepine (CBZ) that had been reported to the manufacturer, Jain (1991) suggested that the frequency (0.001%) was below that for idiopathic SLE (Jain, 1991). The symptoms due to CBZ usually resolved on discontinuation of the treatment, whereas persistence has implied a diagno- sis of idiopathic disease (Jain, 1991). ANA and anti-double 0920-1211/$ — see front matter © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2008.04.004