A STUDY OF IRON STATUS IN CHILDREN PRESENTING WITH FEBRILE SEIZURES FROM 6 MONTHS TO 60 MONTHS OF AGE GROUP IN AVMC, PUDUCHERRY

Anu M.S., N. S. Raghupathy, V. Chandrubhaskar* and M. Mathivanan

ABSTRACT

Background: The most common condition during childhood is febrile seizures. Several hypothesis suggest the pathogenesis of the condition is due to iron deficiency anemia. Aim: The aim of the study was to study the association between iron status and febrile seizures in children aged between 6- 60 months. Methods: This case control study was conducted between November 2019 and October 2021. A total of 100 subjects were included in the study after fulfilling the inclusion criteria and divided into 50 cases and 50 controls. The collected data was noted, given codes, entered using an MS. excel worksheet, and exported to SPSS. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. Data are presented as percentages in categories and then presented as tables and graphs. Chi-square and Pearson test for correlation were used for test of significance. Results: The mean age of the cases was 33± 16.49 months and controls were 36.6± 15 months. The study consisted of 60males and 40 females. Among the 50 cases, 46 had simple febrile seizure and 4 had complex febrile seizure. Among the cases, the mean Hb% was 10.49± 2.03g/dl, mean MCV was 71.3± 7.65μm3, and mean MCH was 24.1± 2.89pg/l. The controls, mean hemoglobin was 10.87± 2.94g/dl, mean MCV was 73.2± 7.76μm3, and mean MCH was 24.8± 3.37pg/l. In the cases, 46 had serum ferritin level >12μg/L. Lower hemoglobin levels increase the risk of febrile seizure which was statistically significant. MCV, MCH, and ferritin levels were associated with a febrile seizure which was statistically significant (P<0.001). Conclusion: The study concludes although anemia was not common in the cases the hematological parameters were associated with febrile seizures.

Keywords: Febrile seizures, Serum ferritin, and Anaemia.