Biochemical Findings of Neonatal Seizures: a hospital-based study

Background: Neonatal seizures are seizures that happen within the first 28 days of life; they are serious emergency that need to be quickly diagnosed in order to start immediate treatment. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Paediatrics of the Jalalabad Ragib-Rabeya Medical College Hospital in Sylhet. The study* was done from July 2013 to December 2013. The study included 100 neonates who experienced seizure episodes. A detailed history was taken and thorough physical examinations were performed after acquiring written consent. A complete blood count, urine R/M/E (routine microscopic examination), blood glucose, total serum calcium, and serum electrolytes (sodium, potassium, and chloride) levels were done in all 100 neonates. Results: 100 hospitalized newborns were evaluated, of which 43% were born to primi mothers and 57% to multipara mothers, 37% of newborns were delivered at home while 63% were born in a hospital. The majority (60%) of births were through normal vaginal delivery (NVD) and 73% of the mothers reported being in good health in the antenatal period. Biochemical study of these patients revealed that 20% of newborns experienced hypoglycemia, 13% of patients had hypokalemia, 30% had hypornatremia, 27% of newborns had hypochloremia, while 43% had hypocalcaemia. Conclusion: The most frequent biochemical abnormality in neonatal seizure according to this study was hypocalcemia (43%) and hyponatremia (30%).