RESUMO
Background & Objective: Febrile seizure is the most common seizure disorder in the paediatric age group and often recurs within the fi rst twenty four hours. It has been observed that children with recurrent febrile seizure have lower serum sodium levels. The study was conducted to ascertain the role of serum sodium as a predictor of seizure recurrence within the same febrile illness. Methods: 70 children admitted for febrile seizure between 6 months to 5 years were included in the study; they were divided into two groups, those with a single episode of seizure and the remaining were children with recurrent seizures. An age and sex matched group of 35 children with fever but no convulsion were the controls. Serum sodium levels were evaluated in all the children. Results: There was no signifi cant difference in the mean serum sodium between the study group and controls. The mean serum sodium level of children with recurrent seizures is signifi cantly lower than the mean serum sodium level of children with a single seizure (134.31SD 3.79 versus 138.2 SD 3.66 mmol/l, p<0.01). Conclusion: Measurement of the serum sodium in a child with febrile seizures helps in predicting seizure recurrence within the same febrile illness.
