LONG-TERM OUTCOME OF PROPHYLAXIS FOR FEBRILE CONVULSIONS

A cohort of 289 children with febrile convulsions who had been randomi sed in early childhood to either intermittent prophylaxis (diazepam at fever) or no prophylaxis (diazepam at seizures) was followed up 12 ye ars later. The study focused on the occurrence of epilepsy and on neur ological, motor, intellectual, cognitive, and scholastic achievements in the cohort. At follow up the two groups were of almost identical ag e (14.0 v 14.1 years), body weight (58.2 v 57.2 kg), height (168.2 v 1 67.7 cm), and head circumference (55.9 u 56.2 cm). The occurrence of e pilepsy (0.7% v 0.8%), neurological examination, fine and gross motor development on the Stott motor test, intellectual performance on the W echsler intelligence scale for children verbal IQ (105 v 105), perform ance IQ (114 v 111), and full scale IQ (110 v 108), cognitive abilitie s on a neuropsychological test battery, including short and long term, auditory and visual memory, visuomotor tempo, computer reaction time, reading test, and scholastic achievement were also very similar. Chil dren with simple and complex febrile convulsions had the same benign o utcome. The long term prognosis in terms of subsequent epilepsy, neuro logical, motor, intellectual, cognitive, and scholastic ability was no t influenced by the type of treatment applied in early childhood. Prev enting new febrile convulsions appears no better in the long run than abbreviating them.