Prevalence of febrile seizures in childhood epilepsy
Journal Title: Medpulse International Journal of Pediatrics - Year 2017, Vol 4, Issue 1
Abstract
Background: Febrile seizures are the most common form of convulsion in infants and children. Seizure occurs with raised body temperature (fever) but without underlying serious etiology. Most commonly occur between 6 months to 5 years of age. Aims and Objective: To determine the prevalence of febrile seizure before the onset of afebrile seizures in childhood epilepsy. Material and Method: Children between 1 to 14 years of age with idiopathic, cryptogenic epilepsy and other rare epilepsy syndromes were included in the study. Children with acute symptomatic seizures or epilepsy due to identifiable acquired lesion like granulomas etc were excluded from the final analysis. Of the 100 cases 49 were localization related, 48 were generalized and in 3 cases the syndromes was undetermined. Results: Seizures provoked by fever had occurred before the onset of afebrile seizures in 15 of 100 cases studied. 7 of these later developed generalized epilepsy syndromes 6 developed localization related epilepsy syndromes and in 2 cases it was undetermined. In our study 4% of the cases had cryptogenic localization related epilepsy. Of these 3% were semiologically complex partial seizures of temporal lobe origin. Of the 6 children with absence epilepsy 2 children (33%) had febrile seizure preceding onset of absence seizures. Of the other idiopathic generalized epilepsy cases 2 children had a family history of febrile/afebrile seizures and also prior history of febrile seizures qualifying the criteria of generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus (GEFS+) syndrome. In one of our cases febrile seizures started at 6 months of age and had continued till presentation to us at 5 years of age. In the second patient febrile seizure occurred at 3 years of age and later the child had two afebrile seizures at 9 and 13 years of age. We had 3 cases of other symptomatic generalized epilepsy (50%) with prior history of febrile seizures. Conclusion: Febrile seizures preceded epilepsy in 15% of our patients. Two patients of these had GEFS+ syndrome, a genetic syndrome linked to the sodium channels. Febrile seizures were also found preceding childhood absence epilepsy and cryptogenic localization related epilepsy especially in children with complex partial seizures
Authors and Affiliations
Ashok Kumar, A B Shah
Keywords
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