Abstract Introduction: Febrile seizures are a benign condition of childhood and most common cause of seizures in children less than 5 years. Many risk factors predisposing the children to febrile seizures have been identified and studied. Among those many studies have found a significant association with anaemia. Objective: To study the clinical profile of children admitted with febrile convulsion and its relation with anaemia. Materials and Methods: Retrospective case series study of children admitted with first episode of febrile convulsion in the Pediatric department of a tertiary care teaching hospital over period of 15 months. Detailed history was taken and blood investigations were done to diagnose anaemia as per WHO criteria. Results: Higher incidence of FS was found in males (63.4%) and children between 6-24 months (71%) with male: female ratio of 1.7:1. 78% had simple FS, 82.5% had fever of less than 24 hours and 20.6% with h/o FS in first degree relatives. 76% of cases had anaemia with 55.5% having iron deficiency features and 36 (57.1%) cases had leucocytosis. Conclusions: Iron deficiency is a possible risk factor for febrile seizures in children of age group 6 months to 5 years. Early detection and timely correction of iron deficiency may help in preventing and reducing the incidence febrile seizures in children of this age group.
Keywords: Febrile Seizures; Hemoglobin; Iron Deficiency Anaemia; ILAE; WHO