IOSR Journal Of Pharmacy And Biological Sciences (IOSR-JPBS) e-ISSN:2278-3008, p-ISSN:2319-7676. Volume 16, Issue 2 Ser. III (Mar. – Apr. 2021), PP 54-61 www.Iosrjournals.Org DOI: 10.9790/3008-1602035461 www.iosrjournals.org 54 | Page Relation of Iron Profile Parameters, Zinc and Magnesium with Febrile Seizures in Children from Gaza City Ohood M. Shamallakh 1 , Kholoud M. Shamallakh 1 , Heba M. Arafat 2 & Mazen M. Alzaharna 1 * 1 Department of a Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza City, Palestine 2 Department of Laboratory Medicine, Al Azhar University-Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine *Corresponding Author: Dr. Mazen M. Alzaharna Postal addresses: Room C321, Scientific Building, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine. Abstract Objective: To investigate the association between iron profile parameters, Zn, and Mg levels with febrile seizure (FS) among children in Gaza City. Materials and Methods: A case-control study, performed on 80 children (6–60 months), 40 with FS and 40 without seizures. Serum ferritin, iron, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), soluble transferrin receptor, Zn and Mg were measured, transferrin saturation was calculated, CBC indices and anthropometric measurements were performed. An approval was obtained from Helsinki committee. SPSS program version 22 was used for all data analysis. Results: The mean levels of serum iron, and transferrin saturation among cases were higher significantly compared to controls (P<0.001). The mean level of TIBC among cases was lower significantly compared to controls (P<0.001). In addition, the percentage of cases with anemia was 85% compared to 80% for controls (P = 0.556). In contrast, 12.5% of cases had iron deficiency (ID) compared to 30% in controls respectively (P>0.05). The mean levels of Mg and hs-CRP were lower among cases compared to controls (P<0.05). Conclusion: There was no association between ID or decreased serum level of Zn and the presence of FS. While results showed that Mg may play a role in FS pathogenesis. Keywords: Febrile Seizures, Serum Iron, iron deficiency anemia, Zinc, Magnesium, Gaza City. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of Submission: 14-04-2021 Date of Acceptance: 28-04-2021 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abbreviations: FS: Febrile seizure; Hb: Hemoglobin; hs-CRP: High-sensitivity C-reactive Protein; ID: Iron deficiency; IDA: Iron deficiency anemia; MCV: Mean Corpuscular Volume; Mg: Magnesium; NMDA: N- methyl-d-aspartate; RDW: Red Blood Cell Distribution Width; SF: Serum Ferritin; SI: Serum Iron; sTfR: Soluble Transferrin Receptors; Tfsat: Transferrin Saturation; TIBC: Total Iron Binding Capacity; URTI: Upper respiratory tract infection; Zn: Zinc. I. Introduction Febrile seizure is the most common form of seizures in children aged between 6-60 months with body temperature ≥38 o C, which is not the result of central nervous system (CNS) infection or any metabolic imbalance, and which occur in the absence of a history of prior afebrile seizures. Most FS cases are benign and self-limiting, and generally, treatment is not recommended (1). Currently identified risk factors for FS include, close blood relative with history of FS, cigarette smoking during gestation, low birth weight, a neonatal nursery stays greater than month, attending to daycare center, fever higher than 39.4 o C, specific infectious diseases, disturbance in the levels of serum minerals, and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) (2, 3). Iron deficiency is considered the commonest micronutrient deficiency globally which can be prevented and treated. ID can cause several neurological manifestations including, delayed motor development, learning deficits, poor attention span, weak memory, and behavioral disturbances. In addition, high body temperature can exacerbate negative effects of ID on the brain. Therefore, it is likely that ID may predispose to other neurological disturbances like FS (4, 5). ID can alter brain synaptic neurotransmitters. Increase of glutamate excitatory neurotransmitters, decrease of GABA inhibitory neurotransmitters, decrease of monoamines and hypoxemia from IDA may be responsible for induction of seizure due to ID (5). Minerals and trace elements have been demonstrated to affect several biochemical and physiological processes (4). Zinc (Zn) and Magnesium (Mg) play a crucial role in the function of the brain and neurological