Abstract

Background: Febrile seizures defined as seizures that occurs between the age of six and sixty
months, with a temperature of 38 degree C or higher, that are not the result of central nervous
system infection or any metabolic imbalance and that occur in the absence of a history of
prior afebrile seizures. A seizure is a transient occurrence of signs and/or symptoms resulting
from abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain.
Objective: to assess the role of Magnesium and Calcium among Children with Febrile
Seizures in a tertiary care hospital. Methodology: The present Case Control Study was
conducted by the Department of pediatrics at Government multispecialty hospital, Sector-16,
Chandigarh from November 2015 to October 2016. A total of 50 Children in study age group
6 months to 5 years admitted in the pediatric ward who were satisfying the inclusion criteria
were included.
Results: In the present study the mean Serum Magnesium level was found to be 2.10+0.24
mg/dl among cases and among control the level was found to be 1.95+0.16 mg/dl. The
association was found to be statistically significant between two groups on comparing Mean
Serum Magnesium. In the present study on analyzing the mean serum calcium levels it was
found that among cases group nearly 90% of them had normal levels and 10% of them had
abnormal serum calcium levels and in the control group all the subjects had normal serum
calcium levels and the association between both the groups was found to be statistically
significant.
Conclusion: This study shows that serum magnesium levels are normal in children with
febrile seizures. It indicates that serum magnesium may not have a significant role in the
pathogenesis of febrile convulsions. Our study sample was not representative of entire
population because all children were mostly from surrounding urban area.