Effects of Anticonvulsant Drugs on Chromosomes

    October 1971 in “ The BMJ ”
    Iza Roman, A Caratzali
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    TLDR Anticonvulsant drugs may cause temporary chromosomal abnormalities.
    The document discusses two main topics: the effects of oral contraceptives on hair loss and the effects of anticonvulsant drugs on chromosomes. The first part describes a case where a 27-year-old woman experienced severe hair loss after stopping oral contraceptive treatment and again after pregnancy, suggesting a similar pathogenesis for hair loss in both situations. The hair loss was characterized by a high number of hairs in the telogen phase, with 65% of plucked hairs being in telogen, compared to the normal 10%. The second part of the document reports on the chromosomal abnormalities induced by anticonvulsant drugs in animal studies. It was found that phenytoin-treated animals had a significant increase in abnormal bone metaphases, with 26% showing abnormalities compared to 8% in control animals. These abnormalities returned to normal seven days after discontinuation of treatment, suggesting a rapid recovery due to the dynamics of bone marrow mitotic cycles. The document concludes that anticonvulsant drugs may cause chromosomal abnormalities by inhibiting folic acid synthesis or protein synthesis, which are essential for normal mitosis.
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