Breath holding spells and importance of iron deficiency anemia

Aim: Breath-holding spells are non-epileptic condition that occurs frequently during childhood and cause anxiety for their families. In this study, we investigated the clinical and laboratory findings of patients who admitted to our pediatric neurology department. Material and Methods: This is a retrospective study of the evaluated files of 48 patients who were diagnosed as breath-holding spell. Gender of the patients, age at onset of seizures, types of seizures, triggering factors and frequencies were determined. Complete blood count, serum iron level, electroencephalography and electrocardiography results were evaluated. The parents were informed about the factors that provacated the seizure. Iron deficiency anemia has been diagnosed and iron replacement therapy has begun. All patients were re-evaluated after two months. Results: The mean age of the patients in the study was 18.65 ± 13.15 years old. Twenty-six (%54,1) of the patients were male and 22 (%45,8) were female. In %84 of the patients, the duration of seizure was shorter than 2 minutes. Iron deficiency anemia was detected in %75 of the patients and most of the patients number and duration of spells decreased after the iron replacement therapy. Conclusion: Iron deficiency anemia is frequently observed in patients with breath holding spells. Iron replacement treatment reduces seizure frequency is important