Febrile seizures (FS) are one of the most common neurological disorders in pediatrics, commonly seen in children from three months to five years of age. Most children with FS have a good prognosis, but some febrile convulsions progress to refractory epilepsy (RE). Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder , and refractory epilepsy accounts for approximately one-third of epilepsies. The etiology of refractory epilepsy is currently complex and diverse, and its mechanisms are not fully understood. There are many pathophysiological changes that occur after febrile convulsions, such as inflammatory responses, changes in the blood-brain barrier, and oxidative stress, which can subsequently potentially lead to refractory epilepsy, and inflammation is always in tandem with all physiological changes as the main response. This article focuses on the pathogenesis of refractory epilepsy resulting from post-febrile convulsions.
ObjectiveTo explore the effects of cytokines on Febrile seizures (FS) in children with febrile seizures (Febrile seizures), febrile seizures duration and prognosis, and to explore the correlation between cytokines and the clinical manifestations and prognosis of FS. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed on 121 children with FS (77 cases in the simple FS group and 44 cases in the complex FS group) who were treated in the pediatrics department of the Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from January 2021 to October 2022 as the experimental group, including 71 males and 50 females, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.42:1, according to the type of attack (93 cases in the comprehensive group, 44 cases in the complex FS group). The focal group (28 cases) and convulsion duration (91 cases in <5 min group and 30 cases in ≥5 min group) were divided into groups, and 127 cases of children with fever but no convulsions were compared with the control group. In addition, 121 children with FS were followed up for 1 year by neurology specialist outpatient department and telephone follow-up. According to the follow-up, they were divided into the first course group, the relapse group and the secondary epilepsy group, so as to further explore the correlation between cytokines and the prognosis of children with FS. ResultsExperimental group compared with control group: Serum IL-1β (1.38 pg/mL), IL-2 (2.26 pg/mL), IL-4 (1.53 pg/mL), IL-6 (10.51 pg/mL), IL-10 (3.09 pg/mL), IL-12p70 (1.74 pg/mL), TNF-α (2.11 pg/mL), IFN-γ (46.56 pg/mL), IL-1β (1.38 pg/mL), IL-1β (1.26 pg/mL), IL-4 (1.53 pg/mL), IL-6 (10.51 pg/mL), IL-10 (3.09 pg/mL), IL-12P70 (1.74 pg/mL), TNF-α (2.11 pg/mL), IFN-γ (46.56 pg/mL). IFN-α (25.92 pg/mL) levels were higher, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the simple group and the complex group (P>0.05). <5 min group compared with control group: serum levels of IL-2 (2.32 pg/mL), IL-4 (1.53 pg/mL), IL-6 (9.65 pg/mL), IL-12p70 (1.74 pg/mL), TNF-α (2.11 pg/mL), IFN-γ (44.63 pg/mL), IFN-α (29.67 pg/mL) were higher, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Compared with control group, the levels of IL-2 (2.06 pg/mL), IL-6 (14.67 pg/mL), IL-12p70 (1.97 pg/mL), IFN-γ (58.56 pg/mL) and IFN-α (17.50 pg/mL) in ≥5 min group were higher, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that serum IFN-α had a high predictive value for FS onset, the cut-off point was 8.64pg/ml, and the sensitivity and specificity were 75.63% and 76.38%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the first course of disease group, relapse group and secondary epilepsy group. ConclusionSerum proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-12p70, TNF-α, IFN-γ, IFN-α and anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 are involved in the pathogenesis of FS. There was no correlation between the simplicity and complexity of serum cytokines. IL-2, IL-6, IL-12p70, IFN-γ, IFN-α were positively correlated with the duration of convulsion. When serum IFN-α>8.64 pg/ml, the possibility of FS attack increased.