Association of Simple Febrile Seizure with Iron Deficiency Anemia in Children: A Case Control Study

Abstract: Background: Febrile seizure is an established entity in Pediatrics which characterizes with absence of any intracranial infection or metabolic disorders. Simple febrile seizure carries a favorable prognosis without any sequelae. Still, it emerges as the most common etiology of seizure till the age of five years. Iron deficiency anemia is a commonly witnessed micro-nutrient deficiency with a worldwide distribution. Objective: To establish relation of simple febrile seizure with iron deficiency anemia in paediatric population. Materials and Methods: Case-control study, conducted in Pediatric Medicine Department, King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital Southern Region, Khamis Mushayat, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from1st January 2022 to 30th June 2023. The 102 children, having age six months to five years, with a diagnosis of first simple febrile seizure were assessed. Likewise, the control group included 102 febrile children without convulsion. The hematological parameters evaluated for diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia included hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, serum ferritin, serum iron, total iron binding capacity & red cell distribution width. Result: The mean age for first simple febrile seizure was 23 months. Acute respiratory infection was the most common etiology (80%). Iron deficiency anemia was identified in 17% of cases of simple febrile seizure, in contrary to 6% of cases with febrile illness without seizure, with odds ratio of 3.2. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the children with iron deficiency anemia are at significantly higher risk of having febrile convulsions compare to control group with fever but without anemia. Keywords: Fever, Febrile seizure, Iron Deficiency anemia, Serum ferritin, Hemoglobin, Convulsion, Mean corpuscular hemoglobin.