Abstract:

Objective: Heavy metals may cause neuronal damage by inducing oxidative stress. This study aims to investigate the levels of mercury, cadmium, and arsenic in children with febrile seizures and their correlation with seizure duration. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 40 children who experienced simple febrile seizures and 30 children who had a fever but did not experience seizures. The study analyzed complete blood count, serum high-sensitive C-reactive protein, albumin, whole blood mercury, cadmium, and arsenic levels. The analysis was conducted six hours after the seizure for those who experienced seizures and six hours after the onset of fever for those who did not experience seizures. Results: Our study found that the patient group had significantly higher levels of arsenic in their blood compared to the control group. At the same time, there was no significant difference in the levels of mercury and cadmium. However, we could not establish any relationship between the seizure duration and the heavy metals levels. Conclusion: While mercury and cadmium levels are normal in children with simple febrile seizures, arsenic levels are high. However, the levels of all three heavy metals have no relationship with the duration of seizures.

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