Increased oxidant status in children with breath-holding spells

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ORIGINAL PAPER

Increased oxidant status in children with breath-holding spells Mustafa Calik & Mahmut Abuhandan & Ali Aycicek & Abdullah Taskin & Sahabettin Selek & Akin Iscan

Received: 19 September 2012 / Accepted: 5 December 2012 / Published online: 19 December 2012 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012

Abstract Background Breath-holding spells (BHS) are the most common form of non-epileptic paroxysmal events in infancy. The pathophysiology of BHS is not fully understood. Irondeficiency anemia (IDA) may be a factor contributing to breath-holding spells. Although numerous reports have shown that elevated oxidative stress is implicated in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases and neurological conditions, such as epileptic seizures, brain damage, and neurotrauma, there are no data regarding the role of oxidative stress in the development of BHS. This study aimed to investigate oxidative stress in children with BHS. M. Calik Pediatrician and Fellow of Pediatric Neurology, Harran University, Faculty of Medicine, Sanliurfa, Turkey M. Calik (*) Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neurology, Harran University, 63100, Yenisehir, Sanliurfa, Turkey e-mail: [email protected] M. Abuhandan Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey A. Aycicek Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey A. Taskin : S. Selek Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey A. Iscan Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatric Neurology, Bezmialem Vakif University, Istanbul, Turkey

Methods This case–control study was conducted at the Department of Pediatric Neurology, Harran University School of Medicine, Sanliurfa, in Turkey. Blood samples from 31 patients (14 females, 17 males) with BHS which were taken at least 24 h after the BHS attack, and a control group of 35 healthy individuals (13 females, 22 males) were used for the measurement of the plasma total antioxidant capacity, total oxidant status, and oxidative stress index, hemoglobin concentration, serum iron, transferrin saturation and serum ferritin levels. Results The plasma total antioxidant capacity values were markedly lower and total oxidant status and oxidative stress index values in the BHS group were significantly higher than that in the controls (P≤0.01). Conclusion Our data suggest that the value of oxidative stress was significantly higher in patients with BHS than in the controls. Conditions associated with increased oxidative stress such as IDA may be a risk factor for the development of BHS. Keywords Antioxidants . Breath-holding spells . Infants . Iron-deficiency anemia . Oxidative stress

Introduction Breath-holding spells (BHS) are non-epileptic paroxysmal events that occur in 0.1–4.6 % of healthy children. Most children (80–90 %) with BHS have their first episode before 18 months of age. Approximately 20 to 30 % of children have an