Hematological Findings in Epilepsy: Associations with Seizure Type

Epilepsy and Hematological Parameters

  • Muhammad Bilal Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Medical Teaching Institution, Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar, Pakistan
  • Ayesha Noor Associate Professor, Department of Hematology, Quetta Institute of Medical Sciences, Quetta Pakistan
  • Muhammad Tariq Hamayun Khan Assistant Professor, Department of Hematology / Pathology, Burns & Plastic Surgery Center, Hayatabad Peshawar Pakistan
  • Jamil Ahmed Kayani Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology, Azad Jammu & Kashmir Medical College, Muzaffarabad Pakistan
  • Mazhar Hamdani Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Azad Jammu Kashmir Medical College, Muzaffarabad Pakistan
  • Maleeha Zia Mufti Lecturer, Department of Pathology, Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad Pakistan
Keywords: Epilepsy, Hematological, Blood cell count, Seizures, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Relating systemic inflammation and blood disorders to inflammatory pathogenesis, epilepsy occurs as a chronic neurological disorder. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the comparative relationship between complete blood count (CBC) and epilepsy in epileptic patients and healthy controls. Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study. Settings: Department of Neurology, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan. Duration: September 2020 to August 2021. Methods: 284 patients with epilepsy and 100 control subjects. A one-year duration study was conducted in which epileptic patients recruited. Data analyzed and applied Independent t-tests and multivariate logistic regression models were performed at a *p* < 0.05 significance level. Results: Patients with epilepsy showed markedly elevated WBC counts (12.34 ± 5.45 vs. 8.26 ± 2.05 ×10³/µL, *p* < 0.001) and had lower RBC counts (4.37 ± 0.77 vs. 4.75 ± 0.62 ×10⁶/µL, *p* < 0.001) alongside HGB levels of 11.19 ± 2.13 g/dL (*p* < 0.001) which is significantly lower than the control group’s 13.25 ± 1.94 g/dL. Cytometry revealed a statistically significant elevation in PLT count (350.99 ± 175.96 vs 289.73 ± 77.93 ×10³/µL, *p* = 0.001). The most common seizure type observed was generalized tonic-clonic seizures (76.76%), with considerable hematologic findings suggestive of inflammation and anemia. Conclusion: The research underscores specific CBC anomalies in epilepsy, which confirm inflammatory and hematological pathways relevant to the disease's mechanisms. These results are consistent with previous studies and also incorporate new findings, indicating that further research is needed to investigate CBC-based biomarkers for epilepsy treatment.

Published
2025-06-30
How to Cite
Bilal, M., Noor, A., Khan, M. T. H., Kayani, J. A., Hamdani, M., & Mufti, M. Z. (2025). Hematological Findings in Epilepsy: Associations with Seizure Type: Epilepsy and Hematological Parameters. Annals of Punjab Medical College, 19(2), 104-109. https://doi.org/10.29054/apmc/2025.1771