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Plasma Interleukin-1ß Levels in Children With Febrile Seizures

Department of Pediatrics Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, hoda_tomoum{at}yahoo.com

Nagya M. Badawy, MD

Department of Pediatrics Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

Afaf A. Mostafa, MD

Department of Clinical Pathology Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

Manal Y. Harb, MBBCh

Department of Pediatrics Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

Proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines regulate the febrile response during infection. In this study, the role of cytokines in the pathogenesis of febrile seizures was investigated, through comparing levels of interleukin-1ß in the peripheral blood of children with febrile seizures and in a matched control group of children with febrile illnesses without seizures. The study included 33 children with febrile seizures (mean ± SD, 29.94 ± 14.9 months) and 38 controls with comparable age, sex, and type of infection. A laboratory workup for the diagnosis of infection was performed, and interleukin-1ß levels were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the patients and the control groups immediately on arrival at the hospital. The plasma levels of interleukin-1ß were comparable in the patients and the control group (mean ± SD, 7.321 ± 3.123 and 8.087 ± 4.8 pg/mL, respectively). Furthermore, there was no significant difference when comparing the plasma levels of interleukin-1ß in patients with simple and complex types of febrile seizures. Plasma interleukin-1ß levels did not show a significant correlation to either the duration of the last seizure, the number of the previous attacks of febrile convulsion, or the degree of temperature. However, interleukin-1ß levels were negatively correlated to the duration from the last seizure attack (r = –.8). Thus, the results of the present study do not support the hypothesis that increased production of interleukin-1ß is involved in the pathogenesis of febrile seizures in children.

Key Words: febrile seizures • cytokines • interleukin-1ß

Journal of Child Neurology, Vol. 22, No. 6, 689-692 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0883073807304007


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