Innovative Journal of Medical and Health Sciences

With interest we read the article by Quinn et al. about two paediatric MELAS patients with typical phenotypic and genotypic features.[1] We have the following comments and concerns.

MELAS may not only be inherited but also sporadic. Thus, we should be informed about the family history to outline the trait of inheritance. Were family members other than the two index cases clinically affected? Were the mothers of the two presented cases clinically affected and did they undergo genetic testing? Were the 2 reported cases related? Was the tRNA^(Leu) mutation in case-1 inherited or sporadic?

With interest we read the article by Quinn et al. about two paediatric MELAS patients with typical phenotypic and genotypic features.[1] We have the following comments and concerns.

MELAS may not only be inherited but also sporadic. Thus, we should be informed about the family history to outline the trait of inheritance. Were family members other than the two index cases clinically affected? Were the mothers of the two presented cases clinically affected and did they undergo genetic testing? Were the 2 reported cases related? Was the tRNA^(Leu) mutation in case-1 inherited or sporadic?

Background: The aim of our study was look for association between iron deficiency anemia with febrile seizures. Prior to our study several other studies have given a conflicting data regarding this association and therefore it was high time for us to confirm this association

Methods: This was a hospital based case-control study which was conducted over a period of 1 year. We enrolled 50 cases and 50 controls. Cases included patients who had a seizure episode following febrile illness. Control group comprised of children of same age group with a febrile illness but without a seizure.Parameters which were determined in each sample of study group; Hb, MCV, MCH, MCHC, Serum Iron, Serum Ferritin, Transferrin saturation, TIBC. The data collected was analyzed and Scrutinized by Statistical package for social sciences (spss) and Minitab 11.30. Chi-square test and student-t test were applied to draw the inferences.  

Results: By applying logistic regression, we saw odds ratio of 1.064(C.I 1.032-1.097) for iron deficiency patients to have febrile seizures (p<0.0001).

Conclusion: The results of our study suggest that IDA is a risk factor for febrile seizures and screening for IDA should be considered. Early detection and timely correction of iron deficiency may be helpful for prevention of simple febrile seizures in children of this age group.