Childhood Febrile Seizures: Overview and Implications

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the latest knowledge and understanding of childhood febrile seizures. This review also discusses childhood febrile seizure occurrence, health services utilization and treatment costs. Parental reactions associated with its occurrence and how healthcare providers can assist parents with dealing effectively with this potentially frightening and anxiety-producing event are also discussed.

Timely Versus Delayed Early Childhood Vaccination and Seizures

“…Regardless of vaccination, young children are at their greatest risk for febrile seizures at ∼16 to 18 months of age. 34,35 In the VSD cohort, the incidence of febrile seizures increases from just .1 per 100 000 person-days at 7 months of age to a maximum of almost 5 per 100 000 person-days at 17 months of age before decreasing to 3 per 100 000 days by 24 months and to 1 per 100 000 days by age 45 months (data not shown). The stronger association of seizures with both MMR and MMRV vaccines administered after 15 months of age, compared with 12 to 15 months, is likely due to a complex interplay between the immunogenicity of the vaccines, the genetic and physiologic susceptibility of the child, and the age-based maturation of the child's immune system; as the immune system matures in the second year of life 36 it also becomes capable of greater febrile response to immune stimulants, such as vaccines.…”

“…33 It should be noted that early-childhood vaccines in the first year of life are given at a time of relatively low background rate of febrile seizures. 34,35 The relationship between timing of vaccination and febrile seizures changes in the second year of life, when receipt of MMR and MMRV vaccines between 16 and 23 months is associated with a higher relative incidence of seizures than between 12 and 15 months. Regardless of vaccination, young children are at their greatest risk for febrile seizures at ∼16 to 18 months of age.…”

The Association between Iron Deficiency Anemia and Febrile Convulsion

“…(2) Although FS is benign and rarely leads to brain damage, it causes emotional, physical, and mental damages, which are stressful for parents, and affects families' quality of life (3,4).…”

“…Many studies have tried to find its risk factors, because of its relation to epilepsy in 2-4% in future, the fact that it can lead to hospitalization, costs for families and the society, and likelihood of recurrence (30% and 50% after the first and the second occurrences, respectively) (3,5).…”

The Correlation between Cerebrospinal Fluid and Levels of Serum Zinc and Calcium in Children With Febrile Seizure

“…The reported prevalence rate for most developed countries varies between 2% and 5% (5)(6)(7)(8). Febrile seizure has been defined by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) as "a seizure occurring in childhood after one month of age, associated with a febrile illness not caused by an infection of the central nervous system, without previous neonatal seizures or a previous unprovoked seizure, and not meeting the criteria for other acute symptomatic seizures" (1,3,7,9,10). The pathogenesis of this condition is still unknown.…”