Table 2. Characteristics of the people with epilepsy (PWE) grouped according to the type of antiepileptic drug.
| Characteristics | Valproic Acid (n = 92) | Phenytoin (n = 49) | Carbamazepine (n = 108) |
| Number of Eligible DBS | 85 | 43 | 101 |
| Number of Excluded DBS | 7 | 6 | 7 |
| Number of Subjects | 84 | 41 | 100 |
| Male | 48 (57.1%) | 22 (53.7%) | 48 (48%) |
| Age, Median (Range) | 44.3 (19–78) | 50.6 (18–72) | 42.9 (20–78) |
| Ethnic, No. Subjects (%) | |||
| Chinese | 74 (88.1%) | 37 (90.2%) | 89 (89%) |
| Malay | 5 (6.0%) | 3 (7.3%) | 5 (5%) |
| Indian | 3 (3.6%) | nil | 6 (6%) |
| Others | 2 (2.3%) | 1 (2.4%) | nil |
| Concurrent medications, No. Subjects (%) | |||
| None | 7 (8.3%) | 22 (53.7%) | 22 (22%) |
| Valproic Acid | - | 10 (24.4%) | 46 (46%) |
| Phenytoin | 10 (11.9%) | - | nil |
| Carbamazapine | 46 (54.8%) | nil | - |
| Other AEDs | 21 (25.0%) | 9 (21.9%) | 32 (32%) |
| Blood Chemistry, Median (range) | |||
| Hematocrit (%) | 41.6 (30.7–51) | 42.7 (33.3–49.2) | 41.3 (29.8–49.7) |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 13.9 (9.8–16.8) | 14.0 (10.5–16.4) | 13.6 (9.2–16.8) |
| Liver Function Test | Median (range) | ||
| Albumin (g/L) | 40 (31–46) | 41 (31–47) | 41 (31–46) |
| ALT (U/L) | 20 (8–109) | 24 (12–79) | 19 (9–43) |
| AST (U/L) | 22 (12–59) | 22 (16–78) | 21 (12–59) |
| GGT (U/L) | 53 (9–333) | 84 (27–417) | 50 (21–213) |
| Drug Monitoring (µg/mL), Mean (standard deviation) | |||
| Mean plasma levels | 57.1 (22.35)* | 9.7 (4.67)* | 8.4 (2.32) |
| Mean DBS levels | 29.2 (14.67)* | 6.9 (3.92)* | 8.3 (2.56) |
| Mean predicted plasma levels | 57.1 (20.31) | 9.7 (4.60) | 8.4 (2.27) |
| Average dose (mg), Mean (standard deviation) | |||
| 870.5 (413.22) | 934.0 (317.89) | 284.1 (71.33) | |
| ILAE Classification of Drug Response | |||
| Drug Responsive | 28 (33.3%) | 21 (51.2%) | 31 (31%) |
| Drug Resistant | 31 (36.9%) | 9 (22.0%) | 38 (38%) |
| Undefined | 25 (29.8%) | 11 (26.8%) | 31 (31%) |
Total recruited PWE were 183. Only 169 were included in the analysis. The remaining 14 subjects were excluded due to missing plasma levels from hospital laboratory system. (Note: Some recruited PWE contributed to the levels of two AEDs).