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Afebrile seizure subsequent to initial febrile seizure
Razieh Fallah1, Fallah Razieh, Sedighah Akhavan Karbasi
1Department of Paediatrics, University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
Insights
Afebrile seizures can occur after febrile seizures (FS) in children. Neurodevelopmental delay, early FS onset, and a family history of epilepsy are key risk factors for subsequent afebrile seizures.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Epileptology
Background:
- Febrile seizures (FS) are the most common neurological issue in children.
- Understanding the transition from FS to afebrile seizures is crucial for pediatric care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the incidence of afebrile seizures following an initial febrile seizure.
- To identify risk factors associated with subsequent afebrile seizures in children.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study followed children aged 6 months to 6 years with initial FS.
- Follow-up lasted at least 15 months to monitor for afebrile seizures.
- Statistical analyses included univariate and multivariate assessments.
Main Results:
- 6.7% of patients experienced subsequent afebrile seizures, with a mean onset of 10.6 months.
- Risk factors identified include neurodevelopmental delay, FS within one hour of fever onset, and a family history of epilepsy.
- Multivariate analysis confirmed neurodevelopmental delay (OR 2.6), early FS onset (OR 1.7), and family history of epilepsy (OR 1.5) as significant predictors.
Conclusions:
- Children with initial FS require careful assessment for risk factors of afebrile seizures.
- Developmental assessments and detailed history-taking are vital for identifying high-risk individuals.
- Prophylactic anticonvulsant therapy may be considered for certain high-risk pediatric patients.
Introduction:
Febrile seizure (FS) is the most common paediatric neurological problem. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of afebrile seizures subsequent to FS in children with initial FS and to evaluate its risk factors.
Methods:
A prospective study was conducted on all children (age 6 months to 6 years) referred with initial FS to the Shahid Sadoughi Hospital, Yazd, Iran, between August 2004 and March 2006, who were followed up for at least 15 months for the occurrence of subsequent afebrile seizures.
Results:
161 boys and 120 girls (mean age 2.12 ± 1.33 years) were followed up for 34.1 ± 7.8 months. 87 (31%) patients had complex FS and 19 (6.7%) patients had subsequent afebrile seizure, with a mean occurrence time of 10.6 ± 6.4 months. Univariate analysis using chi-square test showed that initial FS within one hour of developing fever (p = 0.0001), neurodevelopmental delay (p = 0.0001), family history of epilepsy (p = 0.0001), recurrent FS (p = 0.003) and focal FS (p = 0.04) were risk factors for subsequent afebrile seizure. On multivariate analysis, neurodevelopmental delay (odds ratio [OR] 2.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.3-3.4), initial FS within one hour of developing fever (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.2-2.1) and family history of epilepsy (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1-1.9) were significant factors.
Conclusion:
Special attention should be paid to children with FS during history-taking and developmental assessments to identify high-risk patients and those who might need prophylactic anticonvulsants.
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01:19Seizures ll: Types
01:25Types of Fever
Here are the different types of fever:
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