The Possible Role of Serum Carbamazepine Level and Glasgow Coma Scale in Predicting the Outcome among Acute Carbamazepine Intoxicated patients Admitted to Poison Control Center-Ain Shams University (Prospective Study)

Abstract

Carbamazepine (CBZ) is a commonly used antiepileptic drug and also prescribed for treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. It has also been used in treating bipolar- affective disorder, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, schizophrenia, pain syndromes, and restless legs syndrome. The common toxic effects after acute carbamazepine ingestion include neurological abnormalities as ataxia, seizures, nystagmus and coma and cardiovascular findings as sinus tachycardia, prolonged PR and QRS intervals, ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation, and hypotension. The aim of this study was to find out the frequency of some neurological and cardiovascular effects in patients admitted to poison control center, Ain Shams University, acutely intoxicated by carbamazepine and to assess the possible role of carbamazepine level & Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) as predictors for ECG changes and outcome. A prospective study was conducted on all patients of both sexes with history of acute carbamazepine overdose, admitted to Poison Control Center of Ain Shams University Hospitals (PCC-ASUH) from July 2015 to December 2016. The total number of acutely intoxicated carbamazepine cases in this study was 200 patients, they were divided into: Group I (adult patients): they were 108 patients