Hsieh TC, Lin CC, Wu LSH, et al. - In view of the observed value of valproic acid (VPA) in the treatment of epilepsy and bipolar disorder (BD), researchers herein investigated if its long-term use affects mortality in BD patients.

• Using the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan, researchers included patients treated with VPA for BD (the long-term VPA use group) and BD patients who did not receive VPA or lithium (the control group).

• Outcomes revealed a reduction in the risk of mortality in BD patients in correlation with long-term VPA use.

• The risk reduction was especially evident in the male population and those aged < 65 years.