Is there a need for routine screening and treatment of iron deficiency anemia in early childhood to decrease incidence of febrile seizures

Abstract

Background: The aim of our study was look for association between iron deficiency anemia with febrile seizures. Prior to our study several other studies have given a conflicting data regarding this association and therefore it was high time for us to confirm this association Methods: This was a hospital based case-control study which was conducted over a period of 1 year. We enrolled 50 cases and 50 controls. Cases included patients who had a seizure episode following febrile illness. Control group comprised of children of same age group with a febrile illness but without a seizure.Parameters which were determined in each sample of study group; Hb, MCV, MCH, MCHC, Serum Iron, Serum Ferritin, Transferrin saturation, TIBC. The data collected was analyzed and Scrutinized by Statistical package for social sciences (spss) and Minitab 11.30. Chi-square test and student-t test were applied to draw the inferences. Results: By applying logistic regression, we saw odds ratio of 1.064(C.I 1.032-1.097) for iron deficiency patients to have febrile seizures (p<0.0001). Conclusion: The results of our study suggest that IDA is a risk factor for febrile seizures and screening for IDA should be considered. Early detection and timely correction of iron deficiency may be helpful for prevention of simple febrile seizures in children of this age group.