Short-term effect of levetiracetam monotherapy on haematological parameters in children with epilepsy: a prospective study.

Studies evaluating the effect of levetiracetam (LEV) on haematological parameters in patients with epilepsy are very limited. Clinical trials have also reported an unexplained increased incidence of pharyngitis and rhinitis in LEV-treated patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate prospectively the changes in haematological parameters in children treated with LEV monotherapy. White blood cell, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, haemoglobin, haematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration and platelets were measured in 22 children (13 females, mean age 6.70±4.23 years) with epilepsy, before and after 2 and 6 months of LEV monotherapy. Lymphocyte count was significantly decreased at 6 months (p=0.019) of treatment and this effect was not dose dependent. One child (4.5%) at 2 months and four children (18%) at 6 months of treatment had lymphocyte count below 10th percentile for age. There were no significant alterations in the other parameters evaluated during the study. LEV monotherapy may significantly decrease lymphocyte count at six months of treatment in children with epilepsy. Further prospective studies are needed to investigate the effect of LEV on haematological parameters and the possible association with the higher incidence of infections reported in children receiving LEV.