Evaluation of the relationship between failure to thrive or anemia and febrile convulsions

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the parameters of iron deficiency anemia and failure to thrive in febrile convulsions in Gaziantep University Medical Faculty Şahinbey Training and Research Hospital. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether iron deficiency anemia and failure to thrive are risk factors for febrile convulsion. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out as a cross-sectional retrospective study between January 2016 and September 2019 with 100 children between 6 months - 78 months who applied to Gaziantep University Medical Faculty Training and Research Hospital Pediatric Outpatient Clinic and Pediatric Emergency Department. The age, sex, type of seizure, duration of seizure and presence of additional disease were questioned. Detailed physical examination was performed to determine the focus of infection. The ages were 0-18 months, 18-24 months and> 24 months. The two groups were examined for the presence and absence of iron deficiency anemia, those with a Z score higher than -2 for growth retardation and those with -2 to -3. and those less than -3. Results: 50% (n = 50) of the individuals included in the study had febrile convulsions (study group), and 50% (n = 50) had no febrile convulsions (control group). 44% (n = 44) of the individuals were female and 56% (n = 56) were male. The mean hemoglobin level was 11,50 ± 1,78, the mean ferritin 35,62 ± 41,71 and the MCV mean 73,18 ± 9,65 in febrile convulsions. The mean hemoglobin level in the control group was 11.94 ± 1.30, the mean of ferritin was 43.62 ± 45.30, and the mean MCV was 75.03 ± 5.60. The body mass index of 2% (n = 1) of febrile convulsion patients was between -2 and -3 and the body mass index of 2% (n = 1) was less than -3. 4% (n = 2) of the control group had no body mass index between -2 and -3 and no body mass index was below -3. Conclusion: Most of the febrile convulsions occur early in a febrile disease and are sometimes the first sign. Acute upper respiratory tract infections were the most common site of infection in children with febrile convulsions. Children with febrile convulsions had lower hemoglobin levels but were not statistically significant. It was found that iron deficiency anemia was found in 22% of patients with febrile convulsions, but there was no significant difference with the control group. There was no significant difference between the patient groups in terms of failure to thrive in the individuals included in our study. Further studies are needed to determine whether iron deficiency anemia and failure to thrive can be considered as a risk factor in patients with febrile convulsions.