Side Effects of Sodium Valproate Among Children With Epilepsy Under 2 Years of Age

In a study conducted from September 2015 to February 2016 at the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 50 children under 2 years of age with epilepsy were observed for side effects of sodium valproate treatment. The majority of patients (54%) were male, and the most common age for epilepsy diagnosis was between 6-12 months. The typical dosage of sodium valproate was 26-30 mg/kg/day. The study found that vomiting was the most significant side effect, affecting 20% of the patients. Other side effects included hair loss and loss of appetite (10% each), abdominal pain (4%), and weight gain (2%). Anemia was present in 16% of the patients. These findings align with other studies and may be useful for future research, although the study's limitations include being single-centered and having a small sample size.