Evaluation of Iron Status in 9-Month to 5-Year-Old Children with Febrile Seizures: A Case-Control Study in the South West of Iran

Febrile convulsions are prevalent in children aged between 9 months and 5 years, with an incidence of 2-5%. On the other hand, iron deficiency anemia is the most common hematologic disease of infancy and childhood with a period of incidence that coincides with the time of developing febrile convulsions.

Therefore, it is hypothesized that there is a possible association between these conditions. This study was designed to elucidate this association.

Materials & Methods

Two sex and age matched groups (n=50 in each) of 9-month to 5-year-old febrile children who were admitted to Abuzar Hospital between September 2003 and October 2004 were selected. The first group, or the case group, included children with the first attack of febrile seizure and the second group, or the control group, included febrile children without seizure. Blood samples were collected for measuring complete blood count (CBC) indices, serum Iron,ferritin and total iron binding capacity (TIBC) levels.

Results

Both groups were comparable for age, sex, and the type of febrile illness at admission, except for seizure. There was no significant difference in CBC, Iron and TIBC between two groups but a signicant difference was seen in MCV (Mean Corpuscular Volume), especially in females (P= 0.017). The ferritin level in the case group was significantly lower (30.3 ±16.5 µg/dl) than the control group (84.2 ±28.5 µg /dl) (P= 0.000).

Conclusion

The findings of this study suggested a positive association between iron deficiency and the first febrile seizure in children. Supplemental iron may prevent the recurrence of febrile seizure. Prudently, further studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods need to be undertaken to substantiate this hypothesis.