Study on Constitution Types Distribution and Its Correlation with Immunologic Function of Children with Recurrent Febrile Seizures

OBJECTIVE To investigate the TCM constitution types distribution of children with recurrent febrile seizures， and to explore its correlations with T lymphocytic subsets and immunoglobulin. This study aims to provide evidence for the prevention and treatment of recurrent febrile seizures with Chinese medicine from the perspective of constitution nursing and immunoregulation. METHODS 57 children with recurrent febrile seizures were enrolled in the case group. According to the types of seizures， 36 cases were divided into simple febrile seizures (SFS) group， and 21 cases were divided into complex febrile seizures (CFS) group. And 20 healthy children with normal constitution at the same ages (2~6 years old) were divided into the control group. All the children were required to finished the questionnaire for constitution investigation. Immunoglobulin (IgA， IgG， IgM) and T lymphocytic subsets (CD3+， CD4+， CD8+， CD4+/CD8+) were tested. RESULTS Among the 57 children in the case group， 25 cases were yang excess type (43.9%). Comparing with the control group， IgA and IgG levels in the SFS group and the CFS group were decreased， and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05， P<0.01). IgG level in the CFS group decreased more significantly than that in the SFS group， the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). However， the IgM levels differences among each group were not statistically significant (P<0.05). Comparing the CFS group with the control group and SFS group， CD4+ decreased， CD8+ increased， CD4+/CD8+ decreased， and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.01). Comparing with the control group， IgA and IgG levels in groups of yang excess type， phlegm dampness type and yin deficiency type decreased in varying degrees， the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05， P<0.01). Comparing the groups of yang excess type and phlegm dampness type with the control group， there was no significant difference among the levels of T lymphocytic subsets indexes (P>0.05). Comparing the group of yin deficiency with the control group， only CD8+ increased， and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Children with recurrent febrile seizures has a certain immune dysfunction， and the degree of the CFS is more serious than SFS. Combining the constitution analysis， immune indexes of all children with Yang excess type， phlegm dampness type and Yin deficiency type are abnormal， which mainly manifests as humoral immune dysfunction and has little correlation with T lymphocytic subsets. In recurrent febrile seizures prevention and treatment with Chinese medicine， we should pay more attention to constitution differentiation， and to combine with immunomodulatory drugs during constitution regulation， which may be benefits for clinical prevention and treatment of febrile seizures.