title: Febrile seizures in rural Tanzania: hospital-based incidence and clinical characteristics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Febrile seizures may contribute to epilepsy later in life, but data in sub-Saharan Africa are scarce. We, therefore, conducted a hospital-based study on clinical characteristics of children with febrile seizures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over 2 years, we screened all pediatric admissions of Haydom Lutheran Hospital, northern Tanzania, and recruited 197 children with febrile seizures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of febrile seizures was 4% of all admitted children aged <10 years, with a mortality of almost 4%. The peak age at the first febrile seizure was 2 years. One of five children experienced repeated episodes, and the majority of children showed features of complex seizures. Approximately 20% of children had a positive family history of febrile seizures or epilepsy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Febrile seizures represent a frequent cause for admission of children, bearing a rather high mortality. Most children exhibit complex febrile seizures, which may contribute to the development of epilepsy later in life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Technical University of Munich, 81675 Munich, Germany. drawinkler@yahoo.com.au
authors.forename: Andrea S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tluway
authors.forename: Erich
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schmutzhard
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003294:Seizures, Febrile / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013636:Tanzania / Q000453:epidemiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: complex febrile seizures; concomitant disease; febrile seizures; hospital incidence; lumbar puncture; mortality