Vitamin D status among patients with drug-resistant and non-drug-resistant epilepsy

International audienceBackground & Aims: Epilepsy affects nearly 70 million people worldwide. Vitamin D deficiency may influence the balance of certain epilepsies. The purpose of this study was to determine the vitamin D status and anthropometric measurements of people with epilepsy (PWE), according to their pharmacosensitivity. Methods: Forty-six PWE, with or without drug resistance, underwent nutritional assessment after giving consent. Weight, body mass index (BMI), triceps skinfold thickness (TSF), fat mass (FM) and free fat mass (FFM) by bioelectrical impedance analysis were measured. Serum vitamin D was determined without supplementation. Deficiency was defined as a level < 30 ng/mL. Statistical analysis involved Student t test, ANOVA and Chi2. Results: Patients were aged 44.5 ± 14.3 years, with 60.9% of drug-resistance. BMI was 28.7 ± 7.0, 2.2% were malnourished and 30.4% obese according to the BMI. The average vitamin D level was 15.3 ± 9.9 ng/mL, with 87.0% of deficiency, and 40.0% of severe deficiency (