Background: Recognizing febrile seizures in children might be challenging due to the absence of clear postictal symptoms. In healthy children, Von Willebrand factor and copeptin levels in the blood are normal but significantly elevated after febrile seizures in young children.
Objective:To examine copeptin's utility as a serum biomarker for the early detection of febrile seizures in children.
Patients and methods: Quantitative analysis of serum copeptin levels was carried out using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A total of 90 children participated in the study, 30 each in groups 1 (children with febrile seizures), 2 (children without febrile seizures), and 3 (healthy controls).
Results: Serum copeptin levels were found to differ considerably among the groups investigated, with group I (children with febrile seizures) showing significantly greater levels than the other groups (P < 0.001). Serum copeptin value of ≥8.775 pmol/L was the most accurate threshold for predicting febrile convulsion. In a ROC study, the area under the curve was 0.986, showing good accuracy. The cutoff value was found to have a sensitivity of 93.3% and a specificity of 91.7%. Overall, the accuracy of the forecast was determined to be 92.2%, with a positive predictive value (PPV) of 84.9%, and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 96.5%.
Conclusion: Discovery of serum copeptin as a biomarker for febrile convulsions is promising. Copeptin is a postictal biomarker that shows promise for use in the emergency department, particularly in instances with equivocal clinical histories and presentations, where it might help in diagnosis and management.