Background: The role of vitamin D (vit. D) deficiency in different neurological problems is gaining popularity. While the role of vit. D in epilepsy is widely understood, its role in febrile seizures (FS) is less well understood, with only a limited amount of research available. The broad distribution of vit. D receptors can account for its beneficial role in epilepsy. We therefore sought in this study to check out the impact of vit. D deficiency in the development of FS.
Methods: A sample of 28 children with simple FS and 26 age and sex matched controls (who had febrile disease without seizures) were enrolled sequentially in the study. Venous samples for vit. D level, complete blood count, and other laboratory tests were obtained within 2 hours of FS, and the results for both groups were statistically analyzed.
Results: Regarding the levels of vit. D in the serum, no significant statistical difference existed between both groups (22.12 ± 21.97 vs 29.28 ±14.83 ng/ml, P = 0.170, for convulsive and non-convulsive patients, respectively.). On the other hand, significant statistical differences existed between them, as regards the serum levels of Na, K, and platelets count (137.1 ± 2.37 vs 140.92 ± 7.45 meq/L, P = 0.013; 4.07 ± 0.38 vs 4.30 ± 0.32 mmol/L, P = 0.020; 260.07 ± 129.88 vs 330.93 ± 116.51 cell/μL, P = 0.040, for convulsive and non-convulsive patients, respectively.).