The role of oxidants and antioxidants in febrile convulsion

Aim: Febrile convulsion is the most seen, age related, repeateble and fever caused convulsion type during childhood period. Ethiopathogenesis and triggering factors are not clear. Recent researches show that changes in antioxidant system, oxidative injury and result of this increased oxidant matters may play a role in the pathogenesis of neurological diseasesIn our study, we intend to compare the CSF and serum antioxidant glutathione (GSH) and oxidant malondialdehyde ( MDA), nitric oxide (NO) levels of the cases have febrile convulsions to the cases have meningitis and fever.Materials and Methods: In this study the cases complaining about convulsion during fever period diagnosed as febrile convulsion defined as group 1, and diagnosed as meningitis by LP results compose group 2, cases with fever but neither fever origin obtained nor explorative LP results pozitive defined as group 3. Each group contains similar age interval without gender discrimination.In order to discriminate the febrile convulsion from other possible methabolic disorders may cause convulsion blood urine nitrogen, blood glucose, calcium, sodium, magnesium levels are studied and the cases with abnormal results eliminated from the study. Serum and CSF GSH, NO, MDA levels are studied for every cases in the study.Findings:Serum and CSF antioxidant GSH levels are observed lower, oxidant MDA, NO levels are observed higher in febrile convulsion and meningitis cases than the cases have fever (p=0,001). There is no relationship between CSF and serum GSH, NO, MDA levels in every three grups (p>0,05). In addition to this there is no significant relation in CSF GSH, NO, MDA levels between simple and complicated febrile convulsion cases (p>0,05). Also the fever duration before convulsion has no meaningful value (p>0,05).Results: In our study oxidant MDA and NO levels are high whereas antioxidant GSH levels are low in febrile convulsion and meningitis cases. This shows that in febrile convulsion and meningitis cases antioxidant defence mechanism is insufficient. For this reason in febrile convulsion cases prophylactic treatment must be look over and antioxidant treatment usage must be evaluated.