Spontaneous fits after convulsions with fever.
112 of an original sample of 134 children with febrile convulsions were reviewed between 8 years and 9 years 10 months after their initial attack. 17% of those followed up had had at least one spontaneous fit. A significant correlation was found with perinatal abnormalities. 12% had continuing recurrent fits. Persisting grand mal occurred most commonly in lower social class children who had had perinatal abnormalities and continued to have long-term neurological disorders. Psychomotor epilepsy correlated significantly with a prolonged or repeated initial convulsion with unilateral features. It is suggested that the development of grand mal and temporal lobe epilepsies after convulsions with fever are determined by different mechanisms.
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000453:epidemiology; D004830:Epilepsy, Tonic-Clonic / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012606:Scotland; D012640:Seizures / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003294:Seizures, Febrile; D012923:Social Class