title: Rotavirus gastroenteritis associated with afebrile convulsion in children: clinical analysis of 40 cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical manifestations and outcomes of hospitalized children with afebrile seizures following rotavirus gastroenteritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a retrospective study enrolling patients under 18 years old who were admitted to our hospital during a 10-year period with the diagnosis of rotavirus gastroenteritis. We identified and further analyzed patients who presented with afebrile seizures, without previous seizure disorders, electrolyte imbalances or hypoglycemia. The statistical methods used were the Chi-square test, the Kruskal-Wallis test and the Mann-Whitney test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 1937 patients, 40 patients (24 female and 16 male patients) met the inclusion criteria. The incidence of afebrile seizures following rotavirus gastroenteritis was 2.06%. The age of the patients ranged from 6 months old to 6 years old (mean, 1.9 years). The highest incidence of afebrile seizures was 4.67% in children 1 to 2 years of age (p < 0.001). Twenty-seven patients (67.5%) had two or more seizures, which usually were in clusters within a 24-hour period. No status epilepticus was observed. More than half of the patients (52.5%) suffered from seizures on the third day of diarrhea. Only five of 35 patients showed abnormal electroencephalogram (EEG) findings, which reverted to normal in four of the patients during the follow-up period. Most patients did not require long-term anticonvulsant treatment. During the follow-up period, all patients displayed normal psychomotor development without the recurrence of seizures, except in one patient who had a febrile convulsion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that the course of afebrile seizures following rotavirus gastroenteritis was benign with satisfactory outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, 199, Tun-Hua North Road, Taipei 105, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Jeng-Juh
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: Hsin-Yi
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Meng-Hsiu
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.forename: Hui-Wen
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Dah-Chin
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Kuang-Lin
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Syh-Jae
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Tzou-Yien
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chih-Yi
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Hsu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000150:complications*; D012621:Seasons; D003294:Seizures, Febrile / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology