Increased frequency of interleukin-1beta (-511) allele 2 in febrile seizures.
Febrile seizures can be the first sign of epilepsy. In a recent study, patients with temporal lobe epilepsy were reported to carry the interleukin-1beta allele 2 at position -511 more often than healthy control subjects. Because pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1, are well-known inducers of fever and therefore could play an important part in the pathogenesis of febrile seizures, we have, in this study, analyzed the cytokine gene polymorphism of interleukin-1beta at position -511 in children with febrile seizures and control subjects. We found a statistically significant increase in the frequency and the carriage of interleukin-1beta (-511) allele 2 in children with febrile seizures (n = 35) compared with healthy blood donors (n = 400) (P = 0.03 and P = 0.05, respectively). In previous studies, this allele has been connected to increased in vitro production of interleukin-1. Children with febrile seizures may therefore have an increased pro-inflammatory reaction during fever. This pro-inflammatory reaction may also predispose some children to the development of epilepsy.
Virta
Miia
M
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Tampere Medical School Tampere, Finland.
Hurme
Mikko
M
Helminen
Merja
M
D000483:Alleles; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012016:Reference Values; D003294:Seizures, Febrile / Q000235:genetics*
D007375:Interleukin-1