Febrile Convulsions in Children: Demographic Features, Causes and Seasonal Pattern

Background and Objectives: Febrile convulsion (FC) is the most common seizure disorder in childhood period. Some studies have suggested association between seasons and occurrence of FC. This study was designed to determine demographic features, causes and seasonal variations in cases with FC. Method: In this descriptive, cross sectional study, 282 children 6- 60 months with FC were admitted to the Neurology ward of Ali-Asghar Children’s Hospital from 2009–2013.They were evaluated about age, gender, type (simple, complex), and recurrence of seizures, family history of FC and epilepsy, diseases and seasons on admission. Findings: A total of 282 patients with diagnosis of FC were admitted to our center. Of these 282 patients, 175 (62%) were male. The mean (SD) age was 24.34±14.64 months. There were simple, complex, and recurrent FCs in 208 (74%), 74 (26%) and 58 (21%) of patients, respectively. Positive family history of FC was found in 83(29.5%) and epilepsy in 38(13.5%) of cases. The disease affected 212 (75%) of cases with respiratory and 70 (25%) of cases with non-respiratory manifestations. Most patients admitted in winter. Conclusion: According to our findings, FCs have seasonal pattern associated with febrile respiratory events.