Abstract
The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), red blood cell distribution width (RDW),
platelet count (PLT), and mean platelet volume (MPV)/platelet ratio (MPR) are commonly
known inflammatory markers measured by a routine peripheral blood test that have been
studied in patients with febrile seizures (FS) and may be useful for the classification
of FS types. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between FS
and inflammatory markers including MPR, RDW, and NLR and also to determine the diagnostic
ability of these parameters to identify FS by comparing patients with and without
FS, and by comparing patients with FS to their FS types (simple febrile seizure or
complex febrile seizure [SFS or CFS]). The study included a total of 537 children
aged 6 to 60 months who presented to the emergency service with FS. The FS group was
divided into two subgroups based on the type of seizure, SFS, and CFS. MPR, NLR, and
RDW predicted a 1.7 (odds ratio [OR], 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.19–2.45), 1.94
(OR, 95% CI: 1.35–2.79), and 1.8 (OR, 95% CI: 1.25–2.59) times higher risk of FS,
respectively. NLR and RDW predicted a 2.64 (OR, 95% CI: 1.17–4.85) and 2.34 (OR, 95%
CI: 1.14–4.44) times higher risk of recurrent SFS, respectively. In patients with
CFS, NLR ≥ 1.806 had a 3.64 times (OR, 95% CI: 1.83–7.21) and RDW ≥14.55 had a 3.34
times (OR, 95% CI: 1.67–6.65) higher risk of recurrent FS. The results indicated that
MPV, NLR, and RDW differentiated not only SFS from CFS but also FS from fever without
seizure. The increase in RDW and NLR values and their diagnostic values in patients
with recurrent FS and the diagnostic value of these parameters in predicting CFS suggest
that NLR and RDW could be effective, practical, and discriminative predictors of FS.
Keywords neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio - blood cell distribution width - febrile seizure -
inflammation
