Relationship between Serum IgA concentration and epileptic seizures in children: A prospective study

Purpose. This study investigated the relationship between serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentration and epileptic seizures in children. Methods. Pediatric patients with epilepsy were included in this cross-sectional investigation. Serum IgA levels were analyzed using a biochemical analyzer during admission for initial diagnosis before any medical treatment was administered. Results. Among the 94 patients, 19.1% had decreased serum IgA levels, with a median value of 0.57 g/L. No significant relationship existed between serum IgA concentration and gender, age, epilepsy type, seizure duration or epilepsy waves. Children with low IgA levels experienced more spastic episodes and had a higher seizure frequency compared to those without decreased IgA levels. Changes in serum IgA levels were significantly associated with seizure frequency after three months of treatment. Initially, the occurrence of seizures in the low IgA group was 10.5 times lower than in the non-low IgA group, but, after three months, the low IgA group had a significantly higher seizure rate (72.2%) compared to the non-low IgA group (19.7%). After six months, the low IgA group had a higher proportion of children without seizures (100% versus 84.8%), although the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion. Serum IgA concentration plays a crucial role in diagnosing and predicting outcomes for pediatric epilepsy.