Prevalence, Incidence, and Recurrence of Febrile Seizures in Korean Children Based on National Registry Data

Abstract

Background and PurposeFebrile seizures (FS) are the most common type of seizure during childhood, reportedly occurring in 2–5% of children aged 6 months to 5 years. However, there are no national data on the prevalence of FS in Korea. This study determined the prevalence, incidence, and recurrence rates of FS in Korean children using national registry data.MethodsThe data were collected from the Korea National Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service for 2009–2013. Patients with febrile convulsion as their main diagnosis were enrolled. The overall prevalence of FS in more than 2 million children younger than 5 years was estimated, and the incidence and recurrence rates of FS were determined for children born in 2009.ResultsThe average prevalence of FS in children younger than 5 years based on hospital visit rates in Korea was 6.92% (7.67% for boys and 6.12% for girls). The prevalence peaked in the second to third years of life, at 27.51%. The incidence of FS in children younger than 5 years (mean 4.5 years) was 5.49% (5.89% for boys and 5.06% for girls). The risk of first FS was highest in the second year of life. The overall recurrence rate was 13.04% (13.81% for boys and 12.09% for girls), and a third episode of FS occurred in 3.35%.ConclusionsOur study determined the overall prevalence of FS using data for the total population in Korea. The prevalence was comparable to that reported for other countries. Patients with three episodes of FS need to be monitored carefully.

Febrile seizures: Are they truly benign? Longitudinal analysis of risk factors and future risk of afebrile epileptic seizure based on the national sample cohort in South Korea, 2002–2013

“…In this study, the overall prevalence of febrile seizure in the first five years of the observation period was 11.19%, which was higher than the worldwide incidence (2-5%) and that of Japan (9.3%), which is located geographically close to South Korea 1,2) . Byeon et al 8) reported that the prevalence of febrile seizure in Korean children younger than five years of age was 6.92% based on national cohort data, which was different from our result. We believe that this discrepancy is the result of the different inclusion criteria; we used R56.0x (febrile seizure) as an inclusion criterion, which has been used in many previous studies, whereas Byeon et al used R56.0x combined with G41.x (status epilepticus) or R56.8x (seizure) [7] [13].…”

“…The incidence of febrile seizures varies geographically according to several studies, with incidence rates of 9.3% in Japan, 14% in Guam and 10% in India [2][3][4]. However, most previous studies were based on snapshot data from regional populations or hospital visits, and few population-based studies used longitudinal analysis from birth, especially in Korea [5][6][7][8].…”

Magnesium deficiency and febrile seizure: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…FS occurs in the absence of central nervous system (CNS) infection or acute imbalance of electrolytes without previous afebrile seizure in children aged more than 1 month 2 . According to documents, the prevalence of FS is almost 2%‐5% worldwide 3 …”

Impact of Weather on Prevalence of Febrile Seizures in Children

“…Febrile seizure (FS) is the most common type of seizure seen in children be tween 6 months to 5 years of age 1) . The average prevalence of FS in children younger than 5 years based on hospital visit rates in Korea was 6.92% between 2009 and 2013 2) . Although FS is benign and selflimited, it can frighten parents by the unusual appearance of their child.…”