RELATIONSHIP OF FEBRILE SEIZURES WITH IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA: CHILDREN OF 6 TO 36 MONTHS (A CASE CONTROL STUDY)

Aim: The purpose of this study was to establish the association between febrile seizures and iron deficiency anemia in children 6 to 36 months of age.

Study design: A follow-up case study.

Place of study: In the Pediatric Department of Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi for one-year duration from November 2019 to November 2020.

Patients and Methods: 150 cases (75 for each group, cases and controls) meeting the inclusion criteria were selected for the study. Demographics such as age, gender and addresses were recorded, and blood samples were taken from all patients in the patient and control groups for hemoglobin (Hb), mean blood cell volume (MCV), red blood cell distribution width (RDW), and plasma ferritin (PF) to determine the incidence of iron deficiency anemia.

Results: The mean age of the patients in the group of cases was 21.2 ± 5.7 months, and in the control group it was 19.5 ± 6.8 months. In the group of cases there were 43 (57.3%) men and 32 (42.7%) women, and in the control group there were 39 (52%) men and 36 (48%) women. In the group of cases the mean level of hemoglobin in patients was 10.4 ± 1.4 mg / dl, and in the control group it was 11.1 ± 1.4 mg / dl. In the group of cases, the mean concentration of ferritin in the plasma of patients was 13.7 ± 4.7 ng / dl, and in the control group it was 15.7 ± 4.8 ng / dl. In the case group, 28 (37.3%) patients had iron deficiency anemia, while in the control group 13 (17.3%) patients had iron deficiency anemia. The odd coefficient was found to be 2.84 and was statistically significant.

Conclusion: This study shows that iron deficiency anemia is more common in the patient group than in the control group, and there is a strong association between febrile seizures and iron deficiency anemia.

Key words: febrile convulsions, iron deficiency anemia, hemoglobin, ferritin