title: The relationship between iron deficiency anemia and simple febrile convulsion in children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Simple febrile convulsion is the most common disease of the nervous system in children. There are hypotheses that iron deficiency may affect febrile convulsion and the threshold of neuron excitation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was conducted with the objective of finding the effects of iron deficiency anemia on simple febrile convulsion episodes.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted at AmirKabir Hospital of Arak Medical Sciences University, Arak, Iran. This is a case-control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, 382 children who were selected according to our inclusion and exclusion factors, were divided into two groups of case (febrile convulsion) and control (other factors causing fever) by their cause of hospitalization. After fever subsided, 5 ml blood sample was taken from each child and complete blood count and iron profile tests were performed.
  
  
  METHODS
  The results were interpreted using descriptive statistics and independent t-test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of anemia in the group with febrile convulsion was significantly less than that in the control group: 22.5% of the children in the group with febrile convulsion and 34% in the control group exhibited anemia (P < 0.001). Moreover, the group with febrile convulsion had significantly higher blood indices, such as Hb, Hct, MCV, MCH, and MCHC, compared to the control group (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Iron deficiency can prevent febrile convulsion in children and probably increases the threshold of neuron excitation in fever.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.
authors.forename: Parsa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yousefichaijan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.
authors.forename: Aziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eghbali
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rafeie
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical student, Students Research Committee, School of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.
authors.forename: Mojtaba
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sharafkhah
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical student, Students Research Committee, School of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohaddeseh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zolfi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical student, Students Research Committee, School of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammadreza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Firouzifar
keywords: Child; Iron deficiency; febrile convulsions