Risk Factors For First Attack Of Febrile Convulsion: Case Control Study

Abstract

Background: Febrile seizures are the most common cause of convulsions in children. Most are simple in nature, although those with focal type , prolonged duration  more than (15 min) or those that recur within 24 hours or within the same febrile illness are considered complex. Objective: This is case- control study was carried out to :-Analyze the risk factors associated with first febrile convulsion in comparison to control group of the same age.Analyze the risk factors associated with complex febrile comvulsions.  Subjects and Methods: Patients: A case –control  study had been done at Basrah   peadiatric teaching  hospital  in pediatric medical department on 115 patients  admitted with first attack of  convulsion  and fever,their ages ranged from six months to six years.They had been admitted during  the  time from January2015 to the end of August 2015. Sixty - nine were males and 46 were females.Cases were  matched with control group of 130 children without fever or fit  in relation to age  (6 months -6 years). Results: The significant risk factors were positive family history of febrile convulsion P-value < 0.001, positive family history of developmental delay P-value < 0.01& patient s, history of  preterm gestational age P-value < 0.01.  Other risk factors were not found to be significantly correlated  with first febrile convulsion .The study has revealed  that there is a significant correlation between first complex  febrile convulsion and young age of patients (≤15 months), P-value < 0.05. The common infections  leading to febrile convulsions were  upper respiratory  infections (40 % of  the all causes) , which was  significantly associated with simple febrile convulsions. Conclusoin: From this study three risk factors for first attack febrile seizure were identified ,which may  help in  the prevention include   positive history of febrile seizures in the family  and developmental delay  and history of the prematurity .Complex type was found in 49.6 % of patients with febrile seizure and was related to young age ( ≤ 15 months) .Upper respiratory tract infections were  the most common factor related  to increase temperture in children with febrile convulsion & related to the simple type of febrile convulsions.