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SerumTrace Elements in Febrile Seizure: A Case-Control Study
Kokab Namakin1, Mahmoud Zardast2, Golamreza Sharifzadeh3
1Birjand atherosclerosis and coronary artery research center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences (BUMS), Birjand, Iran.
Insights
Children experiencing febrile seizures (FS) often have lower levels of essential trace elements like zinc, sodium, calcium, and magnesium. These deficiencies may be linked to the cause of febrile convulsions in young children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Clinical Chemistry
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Febrile seizure (FS) is a common childhood neurological disorder.
- The exact cause of febrile convulsions remains unclear.
- Trace element imbalances are suspected contributors to FS pathogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate serum levels of key trace elements in children with febrile seizures.
- To compare trace element concentrations between children with FS and febrile children without seizures.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 48 children (6 months–5 years) with FS and 48 age-matched controls.
- Serum magnesium, calcium, sodium, potassium, and zinc levels were measured.
- Statistical analysis using the Student t-test.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in gender or age between groups.
- Lower mean serum levels of zinc, sodium, calcium, and magnesium were observed in the febrile seizure group.
- Serum potassium levels did not differ significantly between the groups.
Conclusions:
- Trace element deficiencies are significantly correlated with febrile convulsions.
- Further research into the role of trace elements in FS is warranted.
Objective:
Febrile seizure (FS) is one of the most common neurological problems during childhood.Pathogenesis of febrile convulsion is unknown. This study investigated some trace elements among children admitted with FS compared with thoseof febrile without seizure attacks.
Materials & Methods:
This case-control study was conducted on48 children (6 months to 5 yrold) diagnosed with febrile seizure as the cases and 48 age-matched febrile children as the control group. Serum levels of magnesium, calcium, sodium, potassium, and serum zinc were measured. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS (version 15) using Student t-test.
Results:
There were no significant differences between the cases and controls in terms of gender or age. The means of serum level of zinc, sodium, calcium and magnesium in the case group was lower than those of the control group. There was no significant difference onserum potassium mean level between the case and control groups.
Conclusion:
Deficiency of trace elements was correlated significantly with febrile convulsion, while further investigations on trace elements are required.
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