Hematological Findings in Epilepsy: Associations with Seizure Type

Epilepsy and Hematological Parameters

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.