Exploring Vitamin D in Children with Febrile Seizure: A Preliminary Study

Background: Febrile seizures are the most common convulsive disorder in children. There is growing evidence that vitamin D can affect gene expression and modulate various cell metabolisms. Also vitamin D may have a role in the etiology of febrile seizures. We aimed to explore vitamin D status in children with febrile seizure. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 40 children with first episode of febrile seizure referring to Children's Medical Center in Tehran, Iran. A 5 ml blood sample was taken from the peripheral veins of each participant. Serum levels of vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and alkaline phosphates (ALP) was recorded. Other variables that were recorded from each case were gender, age, parental consanguinity and family history of febrile seizure. Patients’ skin color was categorized based on Fitzpatrick’s scale. We asked the parents to complete a validated food frequency questionnaire including vitamin D sources in children. Results: The mean plasma calcium, phosphorous, PTH and ALP were in normal ranges; the mean vitamin D level was 24.41±11.21 ng/ml) in insufficient range). In 7.5% of patients, vitamin D level was in the deficient, 72.5% was in the insufficient and 20% was in sufficient levels. There was no significant difference in vitamin D level between two sexes (P=0.85). There was no significant correlation between vitamin D level and age (P=0.34). There was no significant correlation between vitamin D level and its metabolites (P>0.05). Conclusion There was a high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency among ourpatients with febrile seizure. Further analytical studies are recommended to prove the relation between vitamin D deficiency and febrile seizure.