Epilepsy treatment by sacrificing vitamin D.

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurologic disorders in childhood that often requires long term treatment with antiepileptic drugs. Both antiepileptic treatment and the comorbidities associated with epilepsy have a negative impact on bone health in growing children. Given the fact that vitamin D deficiency is a major public health problem worldwide, clinicians caring for children with chronic diseases should be aware of effects of the medication on the bone metabolism. Yet, vitamin D deficiency due to antiepileptic treatment is an overlooked issue among neurologists. In this review, we briefly describe vitamin D metabolism and the effect of vitamin D in the brain. We also discuss the literature in terms of vitamin D deficiency and antiepileptic treatment in the pediatric population.