Frequency of risk factors in children with febrile convulsions [Article In Bosnian]

Abstract

Objective - The research was performed with the aim of investigating the frequency of positive family history for epilepsy, convulsions, prematurity and developmental abnormalites in children with the first febrile convulsions (FC) attack.

Material and methods - Using a retrospective cohort study 716 children were included from the age of one month to 7 years of life, who lived in the Tuzla Canton, and who were hospitalized for their first FC at the Children’s Hospital in Tuzla in the period from 1. january 1999 to 31 december 2004. The primary source of data regarding the number of children with FC were medical records from the Children’s Hospital, and the secondary independent source were data from 13 health centres in TC. The entire population of subjects was divided into four groups based on age, which were characterized as infant, young, middle and older groups. Data were analyzed on the existence of epilepsy or convulsions in the first level of kinship as well as prematurity and the existence of developmental abnormalities.

Results - Specified risk factors were present in 58 (8.1%) of the children examined. Epilepsy was present in 13 (22.4%), febrile convulsions in 19 (32.8) prematurity in 24 (41.4) and neurodevelopmental abnormalities in 2 (3.4%) of the children. In total the difference between the individual risk factors in the occurrence of FC is statistically significant (χ2 test =23.71639; p =0.0001).

Conclusion - Research results indicate that a risk factor was present in 8.1% of the children. Considering the fact its presence increases the risk of FC and epilepsy recidive occurence at a later age, it is neccesary to provide such children with supervision in the neurological outpatients clinic in the long-term.