Abstract
Our previous work has indicated that the levels of prostaglandinF2α (PGF2α) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were increased during febrile convulsions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationshipbetween CSF PGF2α levels and types of epilepsy or febrile convulsions and to analyze the factors affecting the CSF PGF2α levels.
CSF PGF2α was measured by radioimmunoassay. Children with febrile convulsions (31 cases), with epilepsy (32 cases), with meningitis (31 cases), and with non-neurological diseases (20 cases) were tested (total 114 cases).
A 4.5-fold increase of CSF PGF2α levels (239.3±69.0pg/ml [mean±SE], n=22) was seen in simple febrile convulsion cases and a 2.5 fold increase of CSF PGF2α levels (130.9±36.3, n=9) in complex febrile convulsion cases, as compared to the levels of CSF PGF2α (53.5±8.7, n=20) in children with non-neurological diseases. The mean CSF PGF2α levels (43.0±4.6, n=32) in epilepsy cases was not statistically significantly different from that in non-neurological diseases. There was no statistical difference between CSF PGF2α levels and types of epilepsy.
When the body temperature was normal, the mean CSF PGF2α levels had no relation with the age. When the body temperature was between 37.5°C and 40°C, the levels in infants were higher than those in older children and adults. The levels in infants with febrile convulsions were significantly higher than those in infants with non-neurological diseases. The CSF PGF2α levels in children with meningitis were high. The mean CSF PGF2a levels (118.8±19.1, n=11) in bacterial meningitis cases was not statistically different from that in viral menigitis cases (107.1±19.6, n=27).
The CSF PGF2α levels in meningitis cases were high on admission and gradually decreased after the therapy. The results from our studies revealed that PGF2α of the central nervous system was markedly increased in infants with febrile convulsions and in children with cerebral inflammatory disorders.
