Abstract
Proximal muscle weakness is a common presentation in paediatric-orthopaedic clinics and is frequently paired with a vitamin D deficiency diagnosis. Recently, side effects of the extensive use of antiepileptic and antipsychotic drugs such as sodium valproate in childhood disorders are being documented. Sodium valproate causes a time-dependent, drug-induced proximal myopathy. We report a 13-year-old female patient who presented at the Orthopaedic Outpatient Department at Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi, India, in 2019 with an abnormal gait. The patient was taking a combination therapy of sodium valproate, risperidone and trihexyphenidyl for absence seizures and a mood disorder. Following clinical investigations, the patient was diagnosed with proximal myopathy. As a result of elevated serum alkaline phosphatase and creatine kinase myocardial band levels, sodium valproate was replaced with ethosuximide and a carnitine supplementation was prescribed. The patient fully recovered and regained full mobility. Proximal myopathy had been incorrectly managed and assumed to be caused by a vitamin D deficiency.
Publication details
- DOI
- 10.18295/squmj.2020.20.01.016
- Journal
- Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 20(1), e104-108
- Publisher
- Sultan Qaboos University
- Open access
- Gold open access
- License
- CC BY-ND 4.0
Cite this article
APA 7
Sharma, A., Sinha, S., Narang, A., Chouhan, D. K., & Gupta, S. (2025). Waddling Gait: A complication of valproate therapy and a thought beyond vitamin D deficiency. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 20(1), e104-108. https://doi.org/10.18295/squmj.2020.20.01.016
MLA 9
Sharma, Amit, et al. "Waddling Gait: A complication of valproate therapy and a thought beyond vitamin D deficiency." Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, vol. 20, no. 1, 2025, pp. e104-108. https://doi.org/10.18295/squmj.2020.20.01.016.
Chicago (author–date)
Sharma, Amit, Siddhartha Sinha, Amit Narang, Dushyant K. Chouhan, and Sumit Gupta. 2025. "Waddling Gait: A complication of valproate therapy and a thought beyond vitamin D deficiency." Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal 20 (1): e104-108. https://doi.org/10.18295/squmj.2020.20.01.016.
Harvard
Sharma, A., Sinha, S., Narang, A., Chouhan, D. K. and Gupta, S. (2025) 'Waddling Gait: A complication of valproate therapy and a thought beyond vitamin D deficiency', Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 20(1), pp. e104-108. doi:10.18295/squmj.2020.20.01.016.
Vancouver
Sharma A, Sinha S, Narang A, Chouhan DK, Gupta S. Waddling Gait: A complication of valproate therapy and a thought beyond vitamin D deficiency. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal. 2025;20(1):e104-108. doi:10.18295/squmj.2020.20.01.016
IEEE
A. Sharma, S. Sinha, A. Narang, D. K. Chouhan, and S. Gupta, "Waddling Gait: A complication of valproate therapy and a thought beyond vitamin D deficiency," Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. e104-108, 2025, doi: 10.18295/squmj.2020.20.01.016.