ABSTRACT
Background: Febrile seizure is one of the most common types of seizure in children aged between 5 months and 5 years and accounts for 30% of all childhood seizures, but it is generally considered benign. The objective of the study was to determine the percentage of febrile seizures in Pediatrics Emergency, Maternity and Children's Hospital of Arar City and to study some of the clinical and demographic characteristics of those children
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted during 6 months period, from 1 January to 30 July 2017. All admitted cases [0-12 years] presenting with seizures, both unprovoked and symptomatic [acute and remote], were enrolled. All children 0 to 12 years of age who were hospitalized at the emergency department with seizures were included in this study. Data was recorded in predesigned proforma including age, sex, nature of seizure, fever, history of head trauma, epilepsy, infectious diseases, previous history and family history of seizures and the final diagnosis was fulfilled
Results: Among the studied children presented to the emergency department with attack of convulsions 72.2% of cases had febrile convulsions and 27.8% of cases had convulsions due to other causes. The majority [49.1%] of cases were 1-3 years old. Most [87.7%] of the cases of febrile convulsions had generalized convulsions and in 84.2% it was the first attack but there was a history of repeated attacks in 15.8%. Family history of febrile convulsions was found in 15.8% of the cases
Conclusion: Febrile convulsions was the main etiology of convulsions in children admitted to emergency department of Maternity and Children's Hospital in Arar city. We suggested other researchers to follow the patients to show the recurrence of seizure and the prognosis in them, physical and neurological examinations and good history taking may provide important information for primary emergency physicians when evaluating children with attack of febrile convulsions