SEIZURE RECURRENCE AFTER A 1ST FEBRILE CONVULSION

In this study, 140 children aged from 6 months to 6 years who presente d with a first febrile convulsion at the King Fahad Hofuf Hospital, Al -Hassa, Saudi Arabia were retrospectively identified. Information abou t these children was obtained from their medical records covering a fo llow-up period of 3 years from July 1989 to June 1992. Recurrent febri le convulsions occurred in 60 of them (43%). Relevant risk factors tha t were observed to be significantly associated with seizure recurrence included an age of less than 18 months (odds ratio [OR] = 3.82; 95% c onfidence interval [CI] = 9.26,1.58), an initial febrile convulsion th at was complex (OR = 4.41; CI = 9.50,2.05) and a positive family histo ry of febrile convulsions (OR = 4.12; CI = 10.74;1.58), while a decrea sed risk of recurrence occurred with a temperature of over 39-degrees- C (OR = 4.60; CI = 9.44;2.24). There was no association between seizur e recurrence and the duration of the initial febrile convulsion (OR = 0.93; CI = 2.33; - 2.04) or family history of epilepsy (OR = 0.88; CI = 4.22, - 3.27). An important observation in the present study is the close association (OR(M-H) = 2.36; X2M-H = 9.65) between the developme nt of an afebrile convulsion and seizure recurrence among the group of children with CFC. Anticonvulsant prophylaxis should therefore be con sidered for children whose initial febrile convulsions are complex in nature.