Research article Topical Sections

Serum hypomagnesemia is associated with febrile seizures in young children

  • Received: 09 November 2022 Revised: 21 December 2022 Accepted: 22 December 2022 Published: 26 December 2022
  • Background 

    Febrile seizures (FS) frequently manifest in children below 5 years of age. Although the exact etiology is still unknown, genetic predisposition, changes in neurotransmitter levels, and serum electrolyte imbalance are some of the known risk factors. This study examined the possible association between serum magnesium levels in children with FS compared to febrile children without seizures.

    Methods 

    A retrospective case-control study was conducted from February 2019 to January 2021, recruiting 230 age and gender-matched cases and controls (115 each). Extracted data were analyzed using SPSS using an independent student's t-test, Chi-square test, and Pearson's correlation analysis.

    Results 

    The mean serum magnesium levels were 0.93 ± 0.129 vs 0.97 ± 0.0961; p < 0.001, between cases and controls respectively. Similarly, hypomagnesemia (<0.85 mmol/L) was detected in 26.1% and 8.7% of the cases and controls, respectively; p < 0.001. A significant negative correlation was found between serum magnesium levels and the occurrence of febrile seizures; r = [−0.169], p < 0.05.

    Conclusion 

    Serum magnesium was significantly low in febrile children with seizures compared to those without, and hypomagnesemia was associated with the occurrence of febrile seizures. These results portray hypomagnesemia as a possible risk factor for febrile seizure, and so should be validated in future large cohort studies so that guidelines are set for proper management of these children.

    Citation: Zakaria Ahmed Mohamed, Chunjiao Tang, Erick Thokerunga, Ali Omar Jimale, Jingyi Fan. Serum hypomagnesemia is associated with febrile seizures in young children[J]. AIMS Neuroscience, 2022, 9(4): 551-558. doi: 10.3934/Neuroscience.2022032

    Related Papers:

  • Background 

    Febrile seizures (FS) frequently manifest in children below 5 years of age. Although the exact etiology is still unknown, genetic predisposition, changes in neurotransmitter levels, and serum electrolyte imbalance are some of the known risk factors. This study examined the possible association between serum magnesium levels in children with FS compared to febrile children without seizures.

    Methods 

    A retrospective case-control study was conducted from February 2019 to January 2021, recruiting 230 age and gender-matched cases and controls (115 each). Extracted data were analyzed using SPSS using an independent student's t-test, Chi-square test, and Pearson's correlation analysis.

    Results 

    The mean serum magnesium levels were 0.93 ± 0.129 vs 0.97 ± 0.0961; p < 0.001, between cases and controls respectively. Similarly, hypomagnesemia (<0.85 mmol/L) was detected in 26.1% and 8.7% of the cases and controls, respectively; p < 0.001. A significant negative correlation was found between serum magnesium levels and the occurrence of febrile seizures; r = [−0.169], p < 0.05.

    Conclusion 

    Serum magnesium was significantly low in febrile children with seizures compared to those without, and hypomagnesemia was associated with the occurrence of febrile seizures. These results portray hypomagnesemia as a possible risk factor for febrile seizure, and so should be validated in future large cohort studies so that guidelines are set for proper management of these children.



    加载中

    Acknowledgments



    Not applicable.

    Ethics approval and consent to participate



    This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University. Parents of all eligible children gave their informed consent for inclusion before they participated in the study. The confidentiality of the patients was ensured throughout the study.

    Funding



    There is no funding/support.

    Availability of data and materials



    Not applicable.

    Conflict of interest



    The authors have no relevant financial and or non-financial interest to disclose.

    Authors' contribution



    The authors Z.A.M and E.T conducted data analysis and manuscript drafting. C.T. conducted data collection and A.O.J reviewed the manuscript. J.F conceived the study and supervised the entire process of study. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

    [1] Randel A (2011) AAP Updates Guidelines for Evaluating Simple Febrile Seizures in Children. Am Fam Physician 83: 1348-50.
    [2] Roberts I (2017) Nelson's textbook of pediatrics (20th edn.), by R. Kliegman, B. Stanton, J. St. Geme, N. Schor (eds). Pediatr Radiol 47: 1364-1365. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-017-3907-9
    [3] Patel N, Ram D, Swiderska N, et al. (2015) Febrile seizures. BMJ 351: h4240. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h4240
    [4] Tsuboi T (1984) Epidemiology of febrile and afebrile convulsions in children in Japan. Neurology 34: 175-81. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.34.2.175
    [5] Hackett R, Hackett L, Bhakta P (1997) Febrile seizures in a south Indian district: incidence and associations. Dev Med Child Neurol 39: 380-384. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8749.1997.tb07450.x
    [6] Ilhan A, Uz E, Kali S, et al. (1999) Serum and hair trace element levels in patients with epilepsy and healthy subjects: does the antiepileptic therapy affect the element concentrations of hair?. Eur J Neurol 6: 705-709. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1468-1331.1999.t01-1-660705.x
    [7] Iwasaki N, Nakayama J, Hamano K, et al. (2002) Molecular genetics of febrile seizures. Epilepsia 43 Suppl 9: 32-35. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1528-1157.43.s.9.8.x
    [8] Castilla-Guerra L, del Carmen Fernández-Moreno M, López-Chozas JM, et al. (2006) Electrolytes disturbances and seizures. Epilepsia 47: 1990-1998. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1528-1167.2006.00861.x
    [9] Van Paesschen W, Bodian C, Maker H (1995) Metabolic abnormalities and new-onset seizures in human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive patients. Epilepsia 36: 146-150. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1528-1157.1995.tb00973.x
    [10] Coan EJ, Collingridge GL (1985) Magnesium ions block an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated component of synaptic transmission in rat hippocampus. Neurosci Lett 53: 21-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3940(85)90091-6
    [11] Baek SJ, Byeon JH, Eun SH, et al. (2018) Risk of low serum levels of ionized magnesium in children with febrile seizure. BMC Pediatr 18: 297. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-018-1271-z
    [12] Benga I, Baltescu V, Tilinca R, et al. (1985) Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of magnesium in epileptic children. J Neurol Sci 67: 29-34. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-510X(85)90019-X
    [13] Smith DK, Sadler KP, Benedum M (2019) Febrile Seizures: Risks, Evaluation, and Prognosis. Am Fam Physician 99: 445-450.
    [14] Annegers JF, Hauser WA, Shirts SB, et al. (1987) Factors prognostic of unprovoked seizures after febrile convulsions. N Engl J Med 316: 493-498. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM198702263160901
    [15] Ataei-Nakhaei A, Rouhani ZS, Bakhtiari E (2020) Magnesium deficiency and febrile seizure: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurol Clin Neurosci 8: 225-231. https://doi.org/10.1111/ncn3.12410
    [16] Addlur S, Khandelwal R, Mangajjera SB, et al. (2021) Correlation of serum magnesium levels in febrile convulsions in children: a cross sectional comparative study. Int J Contemp Pediatr 8: 683-688. https://doi.org/10.18203/2349-3291.ijcp20211077
    [17] Zhu X, Wang K, Zhou Q, et al. (2020) Age- and Sex-Specific Pediatric Reference Intervals of Serum Electrolytes in Jilin Province of China Using the A Priori Approach. Am J Clin Pathol 154: 708-720. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcp/aqaa093
    [18] NAMAKIN K, ZARDAST M, SHARIFZADEH G, et al. (2016) SerumTrace Elements in Febrile Seizure: A Case-Control Study. Iran J Child Neurol 10: 57-60.
    [19] Naseer MR, Patra KC (2017) Correlation of serum iron and serum calcium levels in children with febrile seizures. Int J Contemp Pediatr 2: 406-410. https://doi.org/10.18203/2349-3291.ijcp20150984
    [20] Christensen KJ, Dreier JW, Skotte L, et al. (2021) Birth characteristics and risk of febrile seizures. Acta Neurol Scand 144: 51-57. https://doi.org/10.1111/ane.13420
    [21] The Relation Between Simple Febrile Convulsion And Serum Zinc Level In Children | International Journal of Development Research (IJDR) [Internet]. [cited 2022 Oct 1]. Available from: https://www.journalijdr.com/relation-between-simple-febrile-convulsion-and-serum-zinc-level-children
    [22] Millichap JG, Millichap JJ (2006) Role of viral infections in the etiology of febrile seizures. Pediatr Neurol 35: 165-172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2006.06.004
    [23] Addlur S, Khandelwal R, Mangajjera SB, et al. (2021) Correlation of serum magnesium levels in febrile convulsions in children: a cross sectional comparative study. Int J Contemp Pediatr 8: 683-688. https://doi.org/10.18203/2349-3291.ijcp20211077
    [24] Peng X, Yao BZ, Wang S, et al. (2020) The Protective Effect of Breastfeeding on Febrile Seizures: A Case-Control Study. Breastfeed Med Off J Acad Breastfeed Med 15: 709-714. https://doi.org/10.1089/bfm.2020.0105
    [25] Bharathi S, Chiranjeevi K Study of serum magnesium levels and its correlation with febrile convulsions in children aged 6 months to 5 years of age. 8.
    [26] Debroy P, Baruah A (2021) Serum Zinc and Magnesium Levels in Children with Febrile Seizure: A Hospital Based Cross-sectional Study. Natl J Lab Med [Internet] . Available from: https://njlm.net/article_FULLTEXT.aspx?issn=0973-709x&year=2021&month=April&volume=10&issue=2&page=BO01%20-%20BO04&id=2457 (cited 2022 Oct 2)
    [27] Talebian A, Vakili Z, Talar SA, et al. (2009) Assessment of the Relation between Serum Zinc & magnesium Levels in Children with Febrile Convulsion. Iran J Pathol 4: 157-160.
    [28] Kannachamkandy L, Kamath SP, Mithra P, et al. (2020) Association between serum micronutrient levels and febrile seizures among febrile children in Southern India: A case control study. Clin Epidemiol Glob Health 8(4): 1366-1370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cegh.2020.05.014
    [29] Kirkland AE, Sarlo GL, Holton KF (2018) The Role of Magnesium in Neurological Disorders. Nutrients 10: 730. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10060730
  • Reader Comments
  • © 2022 the Author(s), licensee AIMS Press. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com
  • 1. 

    沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院 沈阳 110142

  1. 本站搜索
  2. 百度学术搜索
  3. 万方数据库搜索
  4. CNKI搜索

Metrics

Article views(2272) PDF downloads(136) Cited by(3)

Article outline

Figures and Tables

Tables(4)

/

DownLoad:  Full-Size Img  PowerPoint
Return
Return

Catalog