Iron deficiency anemia among children with febrile seizures

Objectives: This study was aimed to find out the frequency of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) among children with febrile seizures (FS). Study Design: Descriptive, Cross-Sectional study. Setting: Department of Pediatric Medicine, The Children’s Hospital and The Institute of Child Health Multan. Period: from 31st July to 31st December 2017. Material & Methods: A total of 57children, age 6 months to 6 years of either gender presenting with FS were enrolled in the study. Demographic data included age, gender, residential area, maternal literacy and socio-economic status. Work-up for iron deficiency anemia included hemoglobin (Hb) level with serum ferritin levels. Mean and standard deviation were reported for age, disease duration, Hband ferritin levels whereas frequency and percentages are reported for categorical data. Results: A total of 57 children that included 66.7 % females (n=38) were enrolled. Mean Hb (g/dl) and ferritin (µg/L) level was 8.87±6.01 and 9.12±7.36 respectively. IDA was observed in 28.1% (n=16) of the patients. IDA was significantly higher in children 6 months to 3 years age (p-value 0.038), from rural origin (p-vale 0.005), with low income status (p-value 0.025) and children of illiterate mothers (p-value 0.004). Conclusion: IDA is not uncommon in children with FS. Children younger than 3 years, from rural origin, with low income status, and having illiterate mothers were more prone to IDA.