ABSTRACT
Background and objective Anemia, particularly iron deficiency anemia (IDA), presents a significant global health challenge, particularly among children under the age of five years in developing nations. Concurrently, febrile convulsions (FC) affect up to 5% of neurologically healthy children aged 6-60 months, causing considerable distress among parents. There is a suggested correlation between fever and iron deficiency, which may exacerbate neurological risks, potentially lowering seizure thresholds and increasing the risk of FC. However, studies investigating the relationship between IDA and FC have shown conflicting results. In light of this, this study aimed to explore this relationship among children aged 6-60 months in Eastern India, an area where this association has yet to be thoroughly investigated. Materials and methods The case-control study included children aged 6-60 months. The cases consisted of children presenting with FC, while controls comprised children in the same age group presenting with febrile illness but without seizures. Informed consent was obtained, a detailed history was taken, and clinical examinations were conducted for both groups. Blood investigations were performed to diagnose IDA according to WHO criteria: hemoglobin <11 gm/dl with the classical triad of low mean corpuscular volume (MCV), low mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and low mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) for age. Data analysis was performed using the R-based software Jamovi 2.4.8. with appropriate statistical tests. Results We included 81 cases and 80 controls. The study found a statistically significant association between IDA and FC with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.25 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03-4.91; p=0.039]. Additionally, the study revealed that hemoglobin levels, MCH, MCV, and MCHC were lower among cases compared to controls, while the red cell distribution width (RDW) was higher. Both these findings regarding RBC indices were statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusions Our findings indicate a statistically significant association between IDA and FC among children under five years of age. Implementing measures to prevent IDA and strengthening existing strategies may help alleviate the burden of FC in this vulnerable population.
ABSTRACT
Epidemics of dengue outbreak are frequent in south-east Asian countries. Dengue is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in this region. This prospective observational study was done at Dr BC Roy Memorial for Children during the outbreak in 2005 in Kolkata to know the clinical pattern of dengue cases and to find the possible markers of development of dengue hemorrhagic fever. Two hundred and eighty seropositive cases of dengue were included in the study. Among paediatric population, 5 to 10 years age group was most commonly affected. One-sixth of the cases were from villages indicating the extension of the epidemic in rural areas. Abrupt onset of high fever, non-purulent conjunctival injection, erythematous lips, flushed appearance, myalgia, arthralgia, headache and thrombocytopenia were the predominant features. Rhinitis and pharyngitis were rarely found. Prolonged fever more than 7 days, flushed appearance, pharyngeal congestion, shock evidence, serous effusion, bleeding manifestations, thrombocytopenia, elevated liver enzymes and elevated PCV were associated with development of dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome.
