Serum magnesium level in febrile children with or without simple febrile seizures from 6 months to 5 years of age: A case-control study

Objectives: Febrile seizure is the most common type of seizure (2–4%) in children. Imbalance in electrolytes, especially hypocalcemia and hypomagnesemia predispose to all seizures, including febrile seizures. The objective of this study was to compare the serum electrolytes, especially magnesium levels in febrile children presenting with and without episodes of simple febrile seizure. Materials and Methods: An institution-based age- and sex-matched case-control study done between May and October of 2022, involved 60 children aged 6 months to 5 years, divided into 30 cases (febrile children with seizure) and 30 controls (febrile children without seizure). Detailed history including past, birth, and family history was obtained, and serum magnesium, sodium, potassium, and calcium level estimations were done for each participant. Results: The mean serum magnesium of the febrile seizure group was 1.6 ± 0.8 mg/dL, while that for the control group was 2.2 ± 0.3 mg/dL. Similarly, the mean serum calcium levels of the study participants recruited to the febrile seizure group was 8.4 ± 1.1 mg/dL, while that for the participants recruited to the control group was 9.4 ± 0.5 mg/dL. On analysis, it was seen that the serum magnesium and calcium levels were significantly lower among cases than controls ( P < 0.001). However, participants did not differ significantly between the two groups with respect to serum sodium and potassium levels. Conclusion: Mean serum magnesium and calcium levels of children suffering from simple febrile seizures were significantly lower than that of the control children, therefore maintaining optimum serum magnesium and calcium levels should be prioritized in febrile children to prevent the development of simple febrile children among them febrile seizure.