Cerebrospinal fluid folate and cobalamin levels in febrile convulsion

Abstract

Folate and cobalamin parameters were studied in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of 40 febrile paediatric patients. Eighteen of these children were in a state of febrile convulsion while the remaining 22 were non-convulsing. The serum folate concentration of all the patients was higher than that of the control group but the highest value was found in the convulsing children. There was no significant difference in the CSF folate levels between the two groups of patients. The serum cobalamin levels of the patients were significantly lower than those of the control children and the lowest mean was observed in the convulsing state. On the other hand, there was no difference in the CSF cobalamin between the convulsing and non-convulsing children. These results confirm that there is an effective blood-brain barrier system for folate even when serum folate levels are higher than normal. There is also a definite decrease in serum cobalamin during pyrexia but this decrease is more apparent in the convulsing state. The role of cobalamin metabolism in convulsion is not clear.