Abstract
Background. There is growing interest in the association between antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) exposure and subsequent Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods. We conducted a literature search in the PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases. We identified studies using an observational design and performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the association between AEDs exposure and incident PD. We assessed the quality of the studies and identified the pooled odds ratio (OR) for those exposed to AEDs compared to those who were not. Results. Of the 1,775 unique studies identified, 55 were selected for full-text review. Five studies (n = 127,324) were included. Quality assessment revealed moderate-to-high methodological quality in the studies included. The overall OR for a PD was 1.82 (95% CI: 1.35-2.45) in AEDs recipients. When considering each drug individually, the magnitude of association was highest for valproate (OR 3.94, 95% CI: 3.15-4.92) and lowest for carbamazepine (OR 1.32, 95% CI: 1.16-1.49). Further interaction tests revealed higher odds for lamotrigine than for carbamazepine and valproate than for carbamazepine and lamotrigine. Conclusion. This study revealed potential associations between AEDs and incident PD. However, existing evidence remains insufficient, making it premature to draw inferences on this matter.