A study of febrile seizures in children presenting to Teaching Hospital, Kurunegala

Objective To describe demographic & clinical aspects of febrile seizures (FS) presenting to Teaching Hospital (TH) Kurunegala

Method A prospective study was carried out on all children aged 1 month to 5 years, admitted to TH Kurunegala with a diagnosis of FS from February to November 2005. Children with symptomatic seizures, seizures associated with central nervous system infection and those who have had neonatal seizures were excluded. Data was obtained from medical records and direct interviewing of parents /guardians using a pretested questionnaire.

Results There were 2117 children aged 1 month to 5 years, admitted to TH Kurunegala during the study period. Of them 117 (5.5%) had FS. Male to female ratio was 1.7:1. Sixty percent had no previous FS. Mean age at presentation was 17 months. Thirty two percent had their first seizure under the age of 1 year. Seventy four percent of FS occurred within the first 24 hours of onset of fever. Thirty four percent had complex FS. Around 10% had developmental delay. A positive family history was obtained in 37% of patients. Febrile convulsive status was observed in 4 (3.4%) children. Nine (7.7%) children were on long term anticonvulsants.

Sri Lanka Journal of Child Health, 2010; 39: 47-48

(Key words: Febrile seizures, children, teaching hospital)

doi: 10.4038/sljch.v39i2.1954