Objectives: To study the changes in serum electrolytes with special emphasis on serum sodium status in children admitted with acute febrile encephalopathy. Material and Methods: A hospital based observational prospective study involving 120 children between1 to 12 years of age group who were admitted with fever and altered sensorium with or without convulsion, headache or vomiting, and whose total duration of illness was less than 2 weeks; was conducted in the department of Pediatrics of Burdwan Medical College and Hospital, over a period of one year. Results: The mean age of the children included in the study was 72.4 months. 20% children were in the age group of 1 to 3 years, 34.16% in the age group of 3 to 6 years and rest (45.84%) were in the age group of 6 to 12 years. 58.33% were male, 41.66% were female. Hyponatremia and low bicarbonate were the predominantly noticeable electrolyte changes on admission. Mean serum sodium on admission was 133.39 ± 5.63 mEq/L and after 48 hours was 139.60 ± 3.24 mEq/L. Mean bicarbonate on admission and after 48 hours were 21.59 ± 1.72 and 23.94 ± 1.81 mEq/L, respectively. Both these differences were statistically significant (p=0.000 in both cases). However serum level of potassium, calcium and chloride were not significantly changed. Conclusion: An idea of serum electrolyte changes in children with acute febrile encephalopathy can help us to initiate appropriate fluid therapy early in the course of management and thus can prevent or reduce mortality and morbidity.
