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Peripheral leukocytosis in children with febrile seizures

Mohammad R Mohebbi1, Kenton R Holden, Mahmoud Mohammadi

  • 1Students' Scientific Research Center, Bahrami Children's Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. m_mohebbi@hotmail.com

Journal of Child Neurology
|March 23, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Peripheral blood leukocytosis after febrile seizures is linked to fever duration, not the seizure itself. Longer fever duration correlates with lower leukocyte counts in young children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Neurology
  • Infectious Disease

Background:

  • Peripheral blood leukocytosis is a known phenomenon following febrile seizures.
  • This elevation in white blood cells may be attributed to infection, the seizure event, or a combination of both.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between febrile seizures and peripheral blood leukocytosis.
  • To determine if seizure characteristics or fever duration are primary drivers of leukocytosis.

Main Methods:

  • Evaluated 238 children under 5 years old experiencing their first febrile seizure.
  • Elective lumbar punctures were performed on 128 children to exclude central nervous system infections.
  • Analyzed total leukocyte counts, fever duration, and cerebrospinal fluid parameters.

Main Results:

  • A negative correlation was observed between total leukocyte counts and the duration of fever preceding the seizure (r = -0.175, P < .05).
  • Logistic regression indicated that longer fever duration was associated with reduced odds of leukocytosis (leukocyte count ≥ 15,000 cells/µL; OR: 0.117, P < .05).
  • Cerebrospinal fluid glucose levels correlated positively with body temperature and leukocyte counts.

Conclusions:

  • Leukocyte count changes following febrile seizures are more strongly associated with the duration and underlying cause of the fever.
  • The seizure event itself does not appear to be a significant factor in peripheral blood leukocytosis.

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