Febrile seizures prevalence in children

Abstract

Introduction: The prevalence of febrile seizures in children is around 2% to 5% and in general they resolve completely and have excellent prognosis. They necessitate hospital admission so as to rule out other causes of seizures. Aim of the study: To study the prevalence of febrile seizures in children in one month to six years of age. Materials and methods: This was a prospective hospital based observational study in which children aged one month to six years, admitted for febrile seizures were studied. The patient demographics, prevalence of seizures, types of seizures and the likely source of infection was looked for. Results: There were a total of 62 patients in the specified age group. The male to female ratio was 1.5:1. Most number of the cases (50%) were seen in the 1 month to 2 years of age group. Typical febrile seizures (66.1%) were common than the atypical ones (33.8%). History of recurrent seizure was present in 11 (17.7%) cases. Febrile seizures were most common (33.8%) in the cases admitted for upper respiratory tract infections. Conclusion: Simple febrile seizure is a common self-limiting disorder in young children and often has spontaneous resolution. It may recur in a few cases. Patient admission to rule out other causes of seizures, creating awareness in parents and counselling for regular follow up are important.