Abstract
Febrile convulsion is the predominant seizure disorder in the pediatric population. Approximately 2-4% of children undergo a febrile convulsion within the initial six years of their lives, and around 33% will experience repeated episodes. Hence, it is crucial to identify predisposing conditions in order to prevent recurrent episodes. Where the objective of this study is to evaluate the serum sodium level in patients experiencing febrile convulsions and determine the potential risk of developing hyponatremia for subsequent attacks within the next 24 hours.
The study was conducted at the Pediatric Department of Raparin Teaching Hospital in Erbil City from February 1st, 2013, until September 30th, 2013. The study included a sample of 100 children, ranging in age from six months to 6 years, who were admitted to the Pediatric Emergency unit. All of these children were diagnosed with febrile convulsions, which might be either generalized or focal. The control group comprised 100 medically stable, non-febrile toddlers without convulsions who were visiting the hospital for elective reasons (surgery or diagnostic procedures). The control group was selected to match the experimental group in terms of gender and age (rounded to the nearest six months). Patients were monitored in the In-Patient Department for 24 hours to detect any instances of seizure recurrence. Individuals with febrile seizures can be categorized into two groups: those who experience a single seizure and those who have recurrent seizures. The study examined the risk factors of sex, age, family history of febrile convulsion, family history of epilepsy, and degree and cause of fever in both the case group and control group. Additionally, serum sodium levels were tested in both the case group and control group.
Findings: The study revealed that the highest occurrence of febrile convulsions (48% of cases) was observed in children aged between 12 and 23 months. There was a notable disparity between the cases and control groups. Furthermore, there was a substantial disparity in the average serum sodium levels between the study group and the control group. The average serum sodium level in children with single and recurrent seizures is significantly lower compared to the average serum sodium level in the control group (133.8 mmol/L (SD 2.55) for patients with single febrile convulsion versus 132.26 mmol/L (SD 2.64) for patients with recurrent febrile convulsion and 138.15 mmol/L (SD 8.05) for control, p<0.01).
In this study, we conclude the findings indicate that both age and hyponatremia could potentially increase the chance of developing and experiencing a repeat of febrile convulsions within 24 hours. Consequently, assessing the levels of sodium in a child's blood after a febrile seizure can aid in predicting the likelihood of seizure recurrence during the same fever-related illness.