Procalcitonin, Calcium, and Magnesium in Patients with Febrile Seizure during One-Hour Attack

Aims: Procalcitonin (PCT) is a marker used as an indicator of severe bacterial infection, which causes febrile seizure (FS). In this study, the level of PCT in patients with FS during the first hour of attack was investigated. Furthermore, the correlation between PCT and serum Ca and Mg was determined.
Methodology: Sixty children (26 male and 34 female) with hyperthermia-induced seizures participated in the study. Blood sampling was performed when seizure attack elapsed (within the first hour of the attack). Patients were classified according to sex, Ca level, C-reactive protein (CRP, positive >6 mg/L), and PCT level (high PCT>0.5ng/mL). Thirty healthy children were selected as the control group.
Results: PCT level increased in patients compared with that of the control group. Patients with normal or hyperPCT showed no correlation between PCT level with the total and ionized Ca and Mg. The PCT level between the hypocalcaemic and normocalcaemic groups was not significantly different. The PCT level significantly increased (p<0.05) in the group with higher CRP compared with that of the normal CRP group. During the first hour of FS attack, PCT increased with the increase in CRP and no correlation was observed between PCT and the total and ionized serum Ca and Mg levels.
Conclusion: PCT increased and was correlated with CRP in patients with FS during the first hour of attack. The results indicated that PCT elevation is due to the infection and has no evident effect on Ca metabolism in the patients. It can be concluded that the increase in PCT may be due to the FS as a leading cause rather than the bacterial infection.