Background: In the first years of life due to insufficient iron supply, iron deficiency anemia is one of the most common causes of anemia in children. Febrile seizures are the most common seizure disorder in childhood, and anemia, especially iron-deficiency anemia, can predispose children to seizures by affecting nervous system function.

Aim: To evaluate the blood indices associated with microcytic anemia in seizures caused by pediatric fever.

Methods: In this retrospective case-control study, the data of the complete blood count belonging to 100 children with febrile seizures and 100 children with fever of unknown focus without seizures in the age range of 6 to 60 months that were admitted to Hazrat Vali-e-Asr Hospital in Fasa, Iran, from 2016 to 2018, were extracted and compared in terms of measurable and calculated blood parameters.

Results: The incidence of febrile seizures was higher in boys than girls. This study did not show a significant difference in terms of other demographic indicators. Hb, Hct and NLR blood indices showed statistically significant differences between the control group and patients with febrile seizures. There were statistically significant differences in blood indices of Hb, MCV, MCH, NLR, S&L, and Bordbar in the control and case groups of patients with microcytosis. There was a significant difference in the amount of NLR between the three control groups and patients with seizures due to simple and complex fever, in terms of blood parameters.

Conclusion: The results of this study suggest the use of NLR as a predictor of febrile seizures. Although the mean value of most of the blood indices discussed in patients with febrile seizures was in favor of iron deficiency compared to the control group, there was no statistically significant difference between them.

Keywords: Febrile Seizures - Iron deficiency anemia - Microcytosis – Mentzer index