Seizure recurrence after a first febrile convulsion

Abstract

In this study, 140 children aged from 6 months to 6 years who presented with a first febrile convulsion at the King Fahad Hofuf Hospital, Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia were retrospectively identified. Information about these children was obtained from their medical records covering a follow-up period of 3 years from July 1989 to June 1992. Recurrent febrile convulsions occurred in 60 of them (43%). Relevant risk factors that were observed to be significantly associated with seizure recurrence included an age of less than 18 months (odds ratio [OR] = 3.82; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 9.26, 1.58), an initial febrile convulsion that was complex (OR = 4.41; CI = 9.50, 2.05) and a positive family history of febrile convulsions (OR = 4.12; CI = 10.74; 1.58), while a decreased risk of recurrence occurred with a temperature of over 39 degrees C (OR = 4.60; CI = 9.44; 2.24). There was no association between seizure recurrence and the duration of the initial febrile convulsion (OR = 0.93; CI = 2.33; -2.04) or family history of epilepsy (OR = 0.88; CI = 4.22, -3.27). An important observation in the present study is the close association (ORM-H = 2.36; X2M-H = 9.65) between the development of an afebrile convulsion and seizure recurrence among the group of children with CFC. Anticonvulsant prophylaxis should therefore be considered for children whose initial febrile convulsions are complex in nature.