Comparative Study of Serum Vitamin D Levels in Patients with Febrile Seizures and Febrile Illnesses Referred to Motahhari Hospital in Urmia

Abstract

Background & Aims: Febrile Seizure reffered to seizures associated with febrile illness in the absence of central nervous system infection or acute electrolyte disturbance in children without a history of non-febrile seizures. The brain is one of the target tissues for the actions of vitamin D. This steroid hormone plays an important role in the nervous system. The aim of this study was to compare the serum levels of vitamin D in patients with febrile illness and febrile seizures admitted to Motahhari Hospital, Urmia, Iran. Materials & Methods: The present study was a case-control study in which 50 children with febrile seizure were studied as thecase group and 50 children with febrile illness without seizure as the controlgroup. Inclusion criteria for the case group included age 6 months to 5 years, febrile seizure, no nervous system infection, and no electrolyte disturbance. Exclusion criteria were seizures without fever, epilepsy and neurological lesions. Inclusion criteria for the control group were febrile patients admitted to Motahhari Hospital, Urmia, Iran without a history of seizures. Results: Out of 100 patients studied, 51 were boys and 49 were girls. The mean age of the whole study population was 31.5 ± 6.4 months. After comparing two groups, it was found that there was no significant difference between the two groups in anthropometric characteristics. The mean level of vitamin D among febrile patients was 30.83 ± 28.93 and the mean level of vitamin D among febrile seizure patients was 26.18 ± 12.44 ng / dl. There was no significant difference between two groups in this regard. Conclusion: Based on the results of our study, there was no significant difference in the mean level of vitamin D between two groups of febrile patients without seizures and patients with febrile seizures, although the mean level of vitamin D in patients with febrile seizures was in the range defined as deficient.