Demographic, clinical & laboratory profile in children with febrile seizures

Abstract

Introduction: Febrile seizures are the most common seizures in children less than five years of age and occur in 2-5%. They are mostly benign with an excellent prognosis. Despite its benign nature, the febrile convulsion is one of the most common reasons for admission .The present study was aimed to study the demographic, clinical & laboratory profile in children admitted with febrile seizures for the first time and compare with other similar studies. Study Design: A descriptive prospective study conducted in a tertiary care centre. A l l children admitted with Febrile Seizure for the first time; aged 06 mo - 60mo were enrolled. Diagnostic criteria as per ??? Clinical Practice Guidelines, 2008 were used. Patient's demographic and clinical data were obtained. Laboratory investigation for each patient was guided by clinical examination. The cause for the fever was evaluated and managed with antibiotics wherever indicated .The data was analysed by using Microsoft Excel. Results: There were 75 children which constituted 5.7% of total Paediatric admissions. Mean age of presentation was 27.78mo (± 15.16 mo) with peak in less than 2 years of age. At presentation, Simple febrile seizure was observed in majority (85.3%). Mean duration of seizure was 1.25 (± 1.23 ) min. Majority of children (n=54, 72%) developed seizure within 24 hours of onset of fever and around 17.3% had positive family history. The upper respiratory tract infection was the most common cause of fever (92%) and around 84.1 % did not require antibiotics. Around 44% of children had microcytic hypochromic anaemia. Recurrence was observed in 4% of patients. The average length of stay (ALS) was 3.4 (+1-2.4) days. Conclusions: Parents should be appropriately counselled regarding prophylaxis and benign nature of illness. The yield of investigation remains low and does not justify extensive workup or prolonged hospitalization. As most of the cases are of viral etiology, antibiotics should be used with discretion.