Effect of Topiramate Monotherapy on Height in Newly Diagnosed Children With Epilepsy

Abstract We conducted a post hoc assessment of the effect of ≥6 months of topiramate monotherapy on height in pediatric patients with newly diagnosed partial-onset seizure. Data on height measured nonsystematically up to 4 years from two randomized, double-blind studies and their open-label extensions were combined and converted to z scores and percentiles by patient's sex and age. Height velocity values (centimeters per year) and the associated z scores were computed for each postbaseline year using normative data. Median height velocity (centimeters per year) values and the associated z scores for patients ages 6-9 years were, year 1: 4.7 (−0.91); year 2: 4.2 (−1.62); year 3: 4.5 (−1.87); and for patients ages 10-15 years were, year 1: 4.0 (−0.76); year 2: 2.8 (−1.34); year 3: 3.1 (−0.74). There was a significant correlation between height velocity z score and change from baseline in height z score ( r  = 0.94 [n = 117]; P