To study the relationship between febrile convulsion (FC) and iron metabolism in children with upper respiratory tract infection.

From June 2018 to December 2019, 146 children with upper respiratory tract infections admitted to Foshan Maternal and Child Health Hospital were selected. Of these, 57 children were complicated by complex febrile convulsions (CFC), and 89 patients were clinically diagnosed as simple febrile convulsions (SFC), 85 children with clinical diagnosis of upper respiratory tract infection (URI) without history of convulsions. Hemoglobin (Hb), average red blood cell volume (MCV), average red blood cell hemoglobin content (MCH), average red blood cell hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), reticulocyte (Ret), C-reactive protein (CRP), calcium reduction Protamine (PCT), serum ferritin (SF) and serum iron (SI).

There was no significant difference in Hb, CRP, and PCT between the three groups (P>0.05), and there was no significant difference in the MCV, MCH, and MCHC levels between the three groups (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the proportion of children diagnosed with anemia among the three groups (P>0.05). The difference in SF and SI levels between the three groups was statistically significant (P<0.001). The SF levels in the CFC and SFC groups were significantly lower than those in the URI group (P<0.05). The SI levels in the CFC and SFC groups were significantly lower than those in the URI group. The SI level in the CFC group was significantly lower than that in the SFC group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).

The occurrence of children with upper respiratory tract infection and febrile seizures is closely related to the metabolism of serum ferritin and serum iron. Complex febrile seizures are associated with decreased serum iron.