Serum and Cerebrospinal Fluid Lactate Dehydrogenase in Children with Febrile Convulsions

Objective

Tissue damage caused by febrile convulsion has not still been proved or refuted completely. Given the fact that lactate dehydrogenase as an intracellular enzyme can be increased due to tissue damage, we decided to evaluate serum and cerebrospinal fluid lactate dehydrogenase in children with febrile convulsion.

Materials & Methods

This is a cross-sectional study on 166 children aged 6-24 month, in three groups of simple febrile convulsion (n=56), complex febrile convulsion (n=27) with 3 different subgroups (recurrence in 24 hours, duration >15 minutes, and with focal components), and control (n=83). Patients' serum and cerebrospinal fluid specimens were collected after meeting the inclusion criteria. Demographic information was documented and patients' serum and cerebrospinal fluid lactate dehydrogenase and glucose were measured. Data were analyzed using SPSS software.

Result

The mean serum lactate dehydrogenase in simple febrile convulsion, complex febrile convulsion, and controls were 501.57± 143.70, 553.07±160.22, and 505.87±98.73 U/L, respectively. The mean cerebrospinal fluid lactate dehydrogenase in simple, complex febrile convulsion, and control groups were 22.58±11.92, 29.48±18.18, and 21.56±17.32 U/L, respectively. Only cerebrospinal fluid lactate dehydrogenase difference between complex febrile convulsion and control group (p=0.039) (In the duration >15 minutes subgroup and controls, p=0.028) was statistically significant. There was a significant difference between sex and serum lactate dehydrogenase in thesame subgroup of complex group (p=0.012).

Conclusion

Complex febrile convulsion may lead to increase of lactate dehydrogenase in cns of CNS cellular damage.

Effect of Midazolam Alone Versus Midazolam with Maternal Presence on Pain and Anxiety of Lumbar Puncture in 6 to 24-Month-Old Children

OBJECTIVES

Midazolam at a dosage of 0.5 mg/kg induces anxiolytic effects in 90% of children. This study was performed to elucidate whether intravenous midazolam with maternal presence is more efficient than intravenous midazolam alone in the reduction of pain and anxiety of lumbar puncture (LP) in 6 to 24-month-old children.

MATERIALS & METHODS

In this not-blinded clinical trial, we included 60 children aged 6 to 24 months old undergoing LP in the Pediatric Ward of Shahid Sadoughi Hospital, Yazd, Iran, from September 2014 to March 2015. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups, and all of them received painless injection of 0.5 mg/kg midazolam five minutes before LP. In group I, LP was performed with maternal presence and in group II, the mothers were absent. The primary outcomes included anxiety and pain scores before LP and during needle insertion to the skin for LP. The secondary outcomes comprised of success rates in the reduction of anxiety (anxiety score of four and more) and pain (pain score of less than three) when the needle was inserted to the skin for LP.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight girls and 32 boys were evaluated in the two groups. Maternal presence was found to be effective in the reduction of anxiety (2.7±0.65 vs. 3.83±0.87; P=0.001) and pain scores (3.8±1.75 vs. 6.1±1.63, P=0.001). In the maternal presence group, success rate in anxiety (76.7% vs. 16.6%; P=0.0001) and pain reduction (63.3 % vs. 6.7%; P=0.0001) was higher than in the midazolam alone group.

CONCLUSION

Maternal presence during lumbar puncture can reduce pain and anxiety among 6 to 24-month-old children.