pediatrics
Febrile Seizures
Prognosis for Febrile Seizures
Overall recurrence rate of febrile seizures is about 35%. Risk of recurrence is higher if children are<1 year of age when the initial seizure occurs or have first-degree relatives who have had febrile seizures. Risk of developing an afebrile Seizure Disorders after having ≥ 1 simple febrile seizures is about 2 to 5%—slightly higher than the baseline risk of developing epilepsy (about 2% in children overall). Most of the increased risk occurs in children who have additional risk factors (eg, complex febrile seizures, family history of seizures, developmental delay); in these children, risk is increased up to 10% ( Simple febrile seizures themselves are not thought to cause neurologic abnormalities. However, in some children, a febrile seizure may be the first manifestation of an underlying seizure disorder or unrecognized neurologic disorder. The signs of the disorder may be identified retrospectively or may not appear until later. In either case, the febrile seizure is not thought to be causal. Febrile status epilepticus may be associated with damage to vulnerable parts of the brain such as the hippocampus. 1.Nelson KB, Ellenberg JH: Predictors of epilepsy in children who have experienced febrile seizures.N Engl J Med295(19):1029–1033, 1976. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197611042951901 