Summary:Purpose: We conducted a controlled study to investigate the relation of iron status and first febrile seizure (FFS).Methods: Measures of iron sufficiency including hemoglobin concentration (HB), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and plasma ferritin (PF) were prospectively measured in 75 children with FFS and compared with 75 controls matched for age and sex with febrile illnesses without convulsions.Results: Mean ferritin level was significantly lower in cases with FFS (29.5 ± 21.3 g/L) than in controls (53.3 ± 37.6 g/L) with p ‫ס‬ 0.0001. The proportion of subjects with a PF level Յ30 g/L was significantly higher among children with FFS (49 of 75 vs. 24 of 75) than in controls (p ‫ס‬ 0.000). Mean levels of HB, MCV, and MCH also were lower among FFS cases, but differences failed to attain statistical significance. A higher proportion of cases with FFS had an HB <110 g/L, MCV <72 fL, and MCH <24 pg than did the controls, but the differences were not statistically significant. There were no statistically significant differences between the cases and the controls in the mean peak temperature on admission, types of underlying illness, or family history of epilepsy and of febrile convulsion.Conclusions: PF level was significantly lower in children with FFS than in the reference group, suggesting a possible role for iron insufficiency in FFS. Key Words: Iron status-First febrile seizure.Febrile seizures (FSs) are the most common type of seizures, occurring in 2-5% of all children (1). Because of their association with later epilepsy, recent studies have attempted to identify their risk factors (2,3), including family history of febrile convulsions or epilepsy, perinatal factors, features of the acute underlying illnesses accompanying the FS, and the temperature peak. Pisacane et al. (4) reported that anemia was more common in children younger than 2 years with febrile seizures (FSs), whereas, in contrast, Kobrinsky et al. (5) reported that iron deficiency raises the threshold for seizures. Iron is involved in the metabolism of several neurotransmitters, and monoamine and aldehyde oxidases are reduced in iron-deficiency anemia (6), which is common during the second and third years of life, and has variably been associated with behavioral and developmental disturbances (7). In the present study, we focus on the assessment of the relation, if any, of iron status with FFS. PATIENTS AND METHODS Children with first febrile seizure (FFS) admitted to the Departments of Pediatrics, Princess Rahma and KingHussein Hospitals, between January and December 2000, were considered for inclusion in the study. FS was defined as an event in infancy or childhood, usually occuring between ages 3 months and 6 years, associated with fever but without evidence of intracranial infection or other defined causes of seizures. A single seizure of <15 min duration in the presence of fever without focal features was defined as a simple FS, whereas seizures were defined as complex if they lasted >15 min, had...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:Few studies have explored the hormonal triggers for masturbation in infants and young children. Thus, we aimed to study the sex hormones and clinical profiles of masturbating infants and young children.METHODS:This case-control study involved infants and young children who masturbate and were referred to three pediatric neurology clinics between September 2004 and 2006 (n=13), and a similar control group. All children underwent basic laboratory investigations prior to referral. Other tests included electroencephalography (n=8) and brain neuroimaging (n=9). We measured dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, free testosterone, estradiol, dehydroepiandrosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and androstenedione in all participants.RESULT:The median age at the first incident was 19.5 months (range, 4-36 months); the median masturbation frequency, 4 times/day; and the median duration of each event, 3.9 min. The subjects masturbated in both prone (n=10) and supine positions (n=3); two subjects used the knee-chest position. All subjects showed facial flushing; 6, friction between the thighs; 5, sweating; 9, sleeping after the event; and 12, disturbance on interruption. EEG was abnormal in one of eight subjects tested, and neuroimages were normal in all of nine subjects examined. The case and control groups had comparable levels of all sex hormones, except estradiol, which showed significantly lower levels in the case group (P=.02).CONCLUSION:Masturbation in children seems to be associated with reduced estradiol levels, but not with other sex hormones. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings.

Henoch-Schönlein purpura under the age of 2 years is characterized clinically by oedema and a purpuric skin rash which frequently affects the face. Involvement of the joints, kidneys and gastro-intestinal tract is uncommon and the prognosis is excellent. The clinical spectrum in this age group is a continuation with that of Henoch-Schönlein purpura in older children suggesting a nosological entity.

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This study was conducted to evaluate the clinical profile and predisposing factors of cerebral palsy (CP) in Jordanian children. Two hundred Jordanian children born between 1990 and 2005 with CP were reviewed in three teaching hospitals to study prospectively and retrospectively their clinical profile, possible etiological factors, and associated problems. A data collection sheet was developed to collect information from the children?s parents, or occasionally from the chart regarding the demographic characteristics, detailed history, findings of the physical, developmental and neurological examination. Spastic CP was the predominant type (64.5%) with a quadriplegic CP being the most common (36%). Dyskinetic CP was present in 10.5%, while ataxic in 18%. In congenital CP, birth asphyxia constituted a significant possible cause (33.5%). Epilepsy is one of the most common associated problems among CP children constituting 56%. The results of our magnetic resonance imaging findings showed that only 15.5% of the children were normal. This was the first study which detailed the clinical spectrum of CP in Jordan. We concluded that the clinical spectrum of CP in our developing countries may differ from that of the developed countries.