[Electrolytic changes in febrile convulsions].

The authors valued some metabolic parameters (sodium, potassium, calcium, blood levels of glucose, proteins, nitrogen, creatinine) in 159 children with febrile convulsions and compared the results with those of a group of children with fever (50 subjects) and of a group of health, fever free children (50 subjects). In the patients with febrile convulsions serum levels of sodium, calcium and osmolarity resulted significantly lower than those obtained in both control groups. The electrolytic modification (overall hyponatremia, probably due to a SIADH) may have a role in short-term relapses of febrile convulsions. Hyponatremia is present also in some children with high fever, without seizures; it may be that hyponatremia, in predisposed subjects, lower the threshold of neuromuscular excitability.