Introduction:

Valproic acid is a drug used in the treatment of various diseases, including epilepsy. Although it is considered a safe drug, it presents different adverse effects, among them the most common is the considerable increase in body weight.

Objective:

To identify the relationship between the use of valproic acid in patients with antiepileptic treatment and weight gain.

Method:

Systematic review carried out at the Universidad Abierta Interamericana, Argentina, in which an exhaustive search of studies was carried out in the PubMed database with MeSH terms on Valproic acid AND weight gain. Once the articles were selected after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 17 remained, which were useful to carry out this research.

Results:

The information from the articles found reveals that the mechanisms through which valproic acid can generate this increase in body weight are still not fully clarified. Several hypotheses have been proposed; the most frequent in the literature are: hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance, as well as hyperleptinemia and leptin resistance, among others. Patients who present weight gain have important health consequences, particularly the development of obesity and the association with dyslipidemia, arterial hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and atherosclerosis. In addition, by generating changes in body image, it can bring depression, decreased self-esteem and self-confidence, which causes non-compliance and abandonment of treatment.

Conclusions:

The causal relationship of valproic acid on weight gain in patients with epilepsy is observed.

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