SEIZURE DISORDERS CYTOKINES, VIRAL INFECTION AND FEBRILE SEIZURES immune responses to a coimnon virai tactor, double-stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA), were examined in children with and without a history of febrile seizures (FS), in a study at Saga University, Japan. The blood levels of IL-1B and interferon alpha (IFN-a) cytokines were measured using immunosorbent assays at least 4 weeks after the last febrile episode. IL-1B production was significantly increased in a group of 27 FS patients

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... mpared to 18 control children. The levels of IL-1B were 703.7 +/-1318.4 pg/mL in the FS group cf 94.5 +/-112.1 pg/mL for controls (P=0.0007). IL-1B production was not significantly different in 9 patients with a single prior FS compared to 18 with multiple FS. IL-1B levels of 3 patients with prolonged FS were 567.1, 206.0, and 20.6 pg/mL, respectively. IFN-a levels were low, often undetectable, in both FS and control groups; controls had significantly higher levels than FS patients (5.5 +/-4.6 pg/mL cf 1.28 +/-3.2 pg/mL, P=0.0009). Genotyping of IL-1B and IL-1 receptor antagonist polymorphisms showed no significant differences in allelic distribution among FS patients and controls. IL-1B production was not influenced by genotype. (Matsuo M, Sasaki K, Ichimaru T et al. Increased IL-1B production from dsRNA-stimulated leukocytes in febrile seizures.