Effect of Iron Therapy in Preventing Recurrent Febrile Seizures

The study experimentally determines the effect of iron therapy in preventing recurrent febrile seizures. 74 children admitted or attending outpatient department/casualty of the Institute of Child Health, Medical College, Kottayam from February 2014 to November 2014 with the first episode of febrile seizures having iron deficiency anemia were divided into 2 groups of 37 each. One group was given elemental iron at a dose of 3 mg/kg/d till the hemoglobin was more than 12. Both groups were followed up for a total of eight months. The group given iron was found to have a significantly lower recurrence rate of febrile seizure compared to the control group. This study shows that iron therapy by keeping hemoglobin in the normal range is effective in preventing recurrent febrile seizures. However, a large randomized study is needed to establish the effectiveness of iron therapy in reducing the recurrence of febrile seizures.