Clinical profile of children with febrile seizure in a peripheral teaching hospital

Background: Febrile seizure is a common problem in children below 5years of age. This study was conducted to evaluate the clinical profile of children presenting with febrile seizures and to identify the risk factors for recurrence of febrile seizures in these children in a teaching hospital.Methods: A matched case-control study was conducted over a year period from November 2017 to November 2018 in the Department of Pediatrics. One hundred patients with febrile seizures admitted, aged 6-60 months were matched with another one hundred children having fever but without seizure with the same age range, attending the same hospital during the same period. Patients with prior episodes of afebrile seizures, abnormal neurodevelopment, on anticonvulsants and not meeting the age criteria were excluded.Results: The mean age and standard deviation for cases were 25.8'15.19 months and for control was 29.9'18.5 months. Out of which 64% had a febrile seizure for the first time and 36% had recurrent febrile seizures and 64% were males. Simple febrile seizure and complex febrile seizure were observed in 76.7% and 23.3% of patients respectively. The majority of children (71.8%) had a generalized tonic-clonic seizure followed by tonic seizures. Upper respiratory tract infections were the commonest cause of fever in these children. Low temperature at the onset of Febrile Seizure (p=0.001), short duration of fever before the onset of Febrile Seizure (0.026) and atypical Febrile Seizure (p=0.022) were the risk factors for a recurrent febrile seizure.Conclusions: Febrile Seizure is a common pediatric problem seen in males, observed predominantly in children below the age of two years and simple febrile seizure was the commonest variety. Almost one-third of children with Febrile Seizure are at risk for recurrence at a later date. The risk factors for these recurrences are modest rise in body temperature at the onset of febrile seizure, the onset of seizure within 12 hours of fever and atypical presentation.