Association of serum iron and serum calcium levels in children with febrile seizures

Abstract

The current case–control study was conducted to investigate the relationship of iron deficiency anemia and calcium levels with febrile seizures (FSs) in children. The study included 200 children ranging in age from 6 to 60 months. One hundred cases had FSs, including simple FSs and rest; 100 controls had a short history of febrile illness (<3 days) without seizures. A statistical analysis of the data was carried out using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 23. The mean weight, height, and head circumference of cases and controls are 9.73 ± 2.51 kg and 10.63 ± 3.34 kg, 79.66 ± 11.08 cm and 85.43 ± 15.55 cm, and 46.37 ± 2.79 cm and 46.83 ± 3.72 cm, respectively. As per the Indian Academy of Pediatrics, 27% of cases and 37% of controls had protein energy malnutrition (PEM). In cases and controls, the mean hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and red cell distribution width values were 9.23 ± 1.30 and 10.78 ± 1.60 gm/dL, 68.83 ± 8.86 and 78.59 ± 9.82 fl, 25.40 ± 3.47 and 28.50 ± 3.60 pg, and 18.73 ± 1.77 and 16.44 ± 1.76, respectively, and are statistically significant. Patients had lower serum ferritin levels than controls. The mean blood calcium levels in cases and controls were 9.13 ± 0.64 and 9.05 ± 0.93 mg/dL, respectively (P = 0.507). Iron deficiency anemia was found in 26% of cases and 7% of controls (P value <0.001). Hypocalcemia was reported in only 18% of patients and 23% of controls (P = 0.38). There is a clear correlation between FSs and iron deficiency. The majority of data suggests that hypocalcemia is unlikely to be the cause of FSs. Early detection and intervention of iron deficiency in children could help in the prevention and recurrence of FSs.