Prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in children with febrile seizures referred to the pediatric clinic of Bu Ali Hospital in Ardabil during 2023-2024

Background: Iron deficiency anemia is the most widespread and common nutritional disorder in the world, affecting about 30% of the world’s population. In children, iron deficiency anemia is the most common blood disease during infancy and childhood. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of iron deficiency anemia among children with febrile seizures. Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 270 children with febrile seizures participated. Ferritin, hemoglobin, and MCV indices were collected from the blood tests and children’s records, coupled with demographic data and documented in checklists. SPSS version 24 was used to examine the data using both descriptive and analytical statistical techniques. Results: Boys made up 53% of the children in the study. For 50.7% of children, upper respiratory infections were the most common cause of fever, and generalized seizures accounted for 64.8% of all seizures. 11.1% of children had aberrant MCV, while 17% had abnormal hemoglobin. Ferritin levels below 20 indicated that 9.6% of children were iron deficient. Thirty-seven percent of children were iron deficient based on ferritin indices below 20 and abnormal hemoglobin and MCV indices. The incidence of iron insufficiency was significantly correlated with age. The RBC, ferritin, MCV, and hemoglobin means of children who were healthy and those who were iron deficient differed significantly. Conclusions: The findings of this study demonstrated that iron deficiency may be a risk factor for children to experience seizures after a fever. It is advised that future research be conducted with a larger sample size.