Role of Ca2+ Homeostasis Disruption in Rotavirus-Associated Seizures

Abstract

Rotavirus infection disturbs cellular Ca2+ homeostasis by triggering an increase in Ca2+ permeation. A theoretical link between Ca2+ dysregulation and seizures in patients with rotavirus gastroenteritis has been suggested, but no prior studies have investigated this relationship. To test our hypothesis that patients with rotavirus-associated seizures have greater Ca2+ homeostasis disruption than those without seizures, we compared clinical and laboratory dataincluding corrected total serum Ca2+ levelsbetween the 2 groups. Age, gender, maximum body temperature, day of admission, levels of electrolytes except Ca2+, blood pH, and urine ketone levels were not related to seizure occurrence. Significantly lower Ca2+ levels were found among the seizure (+) group (9.22 +/- 0.50 vs 9.66 +/- 0.46 mg/dL, P = .01). Although Ca2+ levels were within normal ranges and did not directly cause the seizures, our results provide preliminary evidence for a relationship between Ca2+ homeostasis disruption and seizures in rotavirus patients.