Evaluation of cases with febrile seizures in terms of clinic and risk factors

Abstract

Febrile seizures are an important group of diseases because of familial anxiety, recurrence risk and potential to transform to epilepsy. One hundred and seventy two patients with febrile seizures in children aged three months to eight years admitted to department of pediatrics between January 1991 - December 1996 were evaluated from the point view of epidemiological, clinic and risk factors retrospectively. A male preponderance of 64.6% was found. The mean age of the patients was 27.44 ± 1.2 months. 137 (79.7%) of the cases admitted following the first convulsions. In 12 (7%) of cases there was a family history of febrile seizures. 89 of seizures (51.7%) were 5 minutes duration or less and 12 (6.7%) lasted 15 minutes or more. Upper respiratory infection was diagnosis in 59 (34.3%), lower respiratory infections in 51 (29.7%) and acute gastroenteritis in 23 (13.4%). The febrile seizures were generalized seizures in 168 (97.7%) and was focal in 4 (2.3%). Thus recurrence of 21.3% of the cases convulsions recur some of the patients may be epileptic, so the parents have to be informedabout the urgent treatment of fewer and risk of the febrile seizures.