Comparison of Serum Zinc Levels among Children with Simple Febrile Seizure and Control Group: A Systematic Review

Objective
Several factors are involved in the etiology of febrile seizure (FS), among them
is zinc (Zn), which has been discussed in various studies. The present systematic review compares Zn levels in children with FS and a control group.

Materials & Methods
We searched keywords of febrile seizure, febrile convulsion, children, childhood,
fever, trace elements, risk factor, predisposing, zinc, Zn, and epilepsy in the
following databases: SCOPUS, PubMed, and Google Scholar. The quality of
research papers was assessed using a checklist. Data was extracted from primary
studies based on demographic variables and amounts of Zn in case and control
groups.

Results
Twenty primary studies were entered in the present study. Of which, eighteen
studies, reported that Zn serum levels were significantly lower in the case group
(patients with FS) than the control group.

Conclusion
The present systematic review indicated that Zn is one factor for predicting FS.
A low level of this element among children can be regarded as a contributing
factor for FS, a conclusion with a high consensus among different studies carried
out in different parts of the world.