Effect of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and mean platelet volume on severity of febrile seizures in Egyptian Children

Background
Febrile seizures (FS) are convulsive episodes that occur in children, typically between the ages of 6 months and 5 years, and are provoked by fever in the absence of intracranial infection, metabolic disturbances, or previous afebrile seizures. FS are the most common type of seizures in early childhood and, while generally benign, they can cause significant distress for families


Objective
To correlate neutrophil-lymphocytic ratio (NLR) and mean platelet volume (MPV) with the frequency and the severity of FS.


Patients and methods
Cross-sectional and follow-up study. Pediatric neurology clinic, pediatric outpatient clinic and emergency department in Ain Shams University Children’s Hospital.


Results
The comparison of hematologic parameters between children with generalized tonic-clonic seizures and focal seizures showed no significant differences, suggesting that the underlying hematologic and inflammatory responses do not differ significantly based on seizure type. The most common infectious causes for FS in this study were gastroenteritis (56.4%) and pneumonia (36.2%). These findings are consistent with the broader trend in.


Conclusion
The study highlighted the role of inflammatory markers, specifically NLR and MPV, in understanding the pathophysiology of FS in children. Despite most cases being self-limiting and not associated with significant neurodevelopmental delays, the findings suggest that systemic inflammation, as indicated by changes in leukocyte and platelet indices, may influence seizure frequency and recurrence. While the NLR showed some correlation with seizure frequency, MPV did not appear to significantly impact seizure duration or recurrence, indicating that its role in FS might be less prominent.