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The association between iron deficiency and febrile seizures in childhood

Dawn S Hartfield1, Jonathan Tan, Jerome Y Yager

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. dawn.hartfield@capitalhealth.ca

Clinical Pediatrics
|February 21, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Children with febrile seizures are almost twice as likely to have iron deficiency (ID) compared to those with only febrile illness. This study suggests screening for iron deficiency in children experiencing febrile seizures.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Hematology
  • Neurology

Background:

  • Febrile seizures are common in young children.
  • Iron deficiency is a prevalent nutritional deficiency in children globally.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between iron deficiency and febrile seizures in children aged 6 to 36 months.
  • To determine if iron deficiency increases the risk of febrile seizures.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective case-control study design.
  • Involved 361 children with febrile seizures and 390 healthy controls with febrile illness.
  • Iron status assessed using Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW), and hemoglobin levels.

Main Results:

  • 9% of children with febrile seizures had iron deficiency (ID), compared to 5% in controls.
  • 6% of cases had iron deficiency anemia (IDA) versus 4% in controls.
  • An increased odds ratio of 1.84 for ID in children with febrile seizures was observed.

Conclusions:

  • Children experiencing febrile seizures demonstrate a significantly higher prevalence of iron deficiency.
  • The findings suggest a potential link between iron deficiency and the occurrence of febrile seizures.
  • Consideration for iron deficiency screening in pediatric patients presenting with febrile seizures is recommended.
Abstract

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