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Association between iron status and febrile seizures in children

Soheila Zareifar1, Hamid Reza Hosseinzadeh, Nader Cohan

  • 1Hematology Research Center, Nemazee Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. zareifars@sums.ac.ir

Seizure
|July 17, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Low iron status, indicated by low serum ferritin, is linked to febrile seizures in children. This finding suggests iron deficiency may be a risk factor for these common childhood seizures.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Hematology
  • Neurology

Background:

  • Febrile seizures are common in children.
  • Iron deficiency is a prevalent nutritional deficiency in young children.
  • The relationship between iron status and febrile seizures requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between iron status and the occurrence of febrile seizures in children aged 6 months to 5 years.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective case-control study was conducted with 300 children experiencing febrile seizures and 200 controls with febrile illness but no seizures.
  • Key hematological parameters including hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, and serum ferritin concentration were analyzed.
  • Comparisons were made between case and control groups, considering age, sex, and iron supplementation use.

Main Results:

  • Children with febrile seizures exhibited significantly higher rates of iron deficiency, defined as serum ferritin below 20 ng/dl (56.6% vs. 24.8%, P=0.0001).
  • Mean hemoglobin levels were slightly higher in the case group (11.7 g/dl) compared to the control group (10.8 g/dl, P<0.05).
  • No statistically significant difference was observed in mean corpuscular volume between the groups (75.5 fl vs. 74.4 fl, P<0.130).

Conclusions:

  • Low serum ferritin concentration is strongly associated with febrile seizures in children.
  • These findings suggest that poor iron status may represent a risk factor for developing febrile seizures.
  • Further research is warranted to explore the underlying mechanisms and potential interventions.
Abstract

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