Are adverse effects of antiepileptic drugs different in symptomatic partial and idiopathic generalized epilepsies? The Portuguese-Brazilian validation of the Liverpool Adverse Events Profile

We report the results of administration of the Portuguese-Brazilian translation of the Liverpool Adverse Events Profile (LAEP) to 100 patients (mean age = 34.5, SD = 12.12; 56 females), 61 with symptomatic partial epilepsy (SPE) and 39 with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) (ILAE, 1989) who were on a stable antiepileptic drug (AED) regimen and being treated in a Brazilian tertiary epilepsy center. Carbamazepine was the most commonly used AED (43.0%), followed by valproic acid (32.0%). Two or more AEDs were used by 69.0% of patients. The mean LAEP score (19 questions) was 37.6 (SD = 13.35). The most common adverse effects were sleepiness (35.0%), memory problems (35.0%), and difficulty in concentrating (25.0%). Higher LAEP scores were associated with polytherapy with three or more AEDs (P = 0.005), female gender (P < 0.001), older age (P < 0.001), and uncontrolled seizures (P = 0.045). The intraclass coefficient (test-retest reliability) for LAEP overall score was 0.848 (95% CI = 0.782-0.895), with a range from 0.370 (unsteadiness) to 0.750 (memory problems). Cronbach's α coefficient (internal consistency) was 0.903. The LAEP was highly correlated with Quality of Life in Epilepsy-31 inventory (r = − 0.804, P > 0.001) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (Depression: r = 0.637, P < 0.001; Anxiety: r = 0.621, P < 0.001) dimensions. LAEP overall scores were similar in people with SPE and IGE and were not helpful in differentiating adverse effects in these two groups. Clinical variables that influenced global LAEP were seizure frequency (P = 0.050) and generalized tonic-clonic seizures in the last month (P = 0.031) in the IGE group, and polytherapy with three or more AEDs (P = 0.003 and P = 0.003) in both IGE and SPE groups.

► Administration of the Portuguese-Brazilian version of the Liverpool Adverse Events Profile in 100 patients with epilepsy is described. ► The most common adverse effects were sleepiness, memory problems, and difficulty in concentrating. ► High scores were associated with polytherapy, female gender, older age, and uncontrolled seizures. ► The Liverpool Adverse Events Profile did not differentiate between symptomatic partial epilepsy and idiopathic generalized epilepsy.