T. Kiviranta et Em. Airaksinen, LOW-SODIUM LEVELS IN SERUM ARE ASSOCIATED WITH SUBSEQUENT FEBRILE SEIZURES, Acta paediatrica, 84(12), 1995, pp. 1372-1374
Fever plays an important role in causing disturbances in fluid and ele
ctrolyte balance. Hyponatraemia has been thought to enhance the suscep
tibility to seizures associated with febrile illnesses in childhood. W
e have studied serum electrolyte levels in children with simple and co
mplicated febrile convulsions. Sodium levels were lower in those child
ren with complicated convulsions in comparison with those having simpl
e convulsions (136.07 +/- 3.06 mmol l(-1), mean +/- SD, n = 42, and 13
7.62 +/- 2.63 mmol l(-1), n = 71, respectively; p < 0.01, Student's I-
test). The sodium concentrations were lowest in children with repeated
seizures (134.20 +/- 2.30 mmol l(-1), n = 15) compared with children
having simple (p < 0.01, ANOVA, Duncan's test) or other complicated ty
pes of febrile convulsions: focal seizures (137.08 +/- 3.82 mmol l(-1)
, n = 12, p < 0.01), seizures lasting longer than 15 minutes (138.00 /- 2.45 mmol l(-1), n = 5, p < 0.05) and children over 5 years (136.70
+/- 2.06 mmol l(-1), n = 10,p < 0.05). Serum potassium levels showed
no statistically significant differences between the patient groups. O
ur results show that hyponatraemia may increase the risk for multiple
convulsions during the same febrile illness.