Folia Neuropathologica

Abstract

1/2021 vol. 59
Letter to the Editor

Valproic acid for myoclonic epilepsy in POLG1 carriers can be fatal

  1. Klinik Landstrasse, Messerli Institute, Vienna, Austria
Folia Neuropathol 2021; 59 (1): 17-18
Online publish date: 2021/03/31
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Confronting perimenopausal women’s knowledge of coronary heart disease with their health behaviours. Controversial role of hormone replacement therapy in the protection of coronary heart disease
With interest we read the article by Tarka et al. about the autopsy findings of an 8-year-old female with mitochondrial disorder (MID) due to the compound heterozygous variants c.2243G>C and c.2542G>A in POLG1 [1]. The patient manifested clinically with mental retardation, developmental regression, and myoclonic epilepsy, for which she received valproic acid (VPA) [1]. Neuropathological studies after death from acute pancreatitis and liver failure revealed bilaterally symmetric degenerative lesions of the accessory olivary nuclei in addition to typical features of Alpers-Huttenlocher disease (AHD) [1]. It was concluded that pancreatitis prior to liver failure is unusual [1]. The study is appealing but raises comments and concerns.
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