title: Epilepsy in children with a history of febrile seizures.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Febrile seizure, the most common type of pediatric convulsive disorder, is a benign seizure syndrome distinct from epilepsy. However, as epilepsy is also common during childhood, we aimed to identify the prognostic factors that can predict epilepsy in children with febrile seizures.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study comprised 249 children at the Korea University Ansan Hospital who presented with febrile seizures. The relationship between the subsequent occurrence of epilepsy and clinical factors including seizure and fever-related variables were analyzed by multivariate analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-five patients (10.0%) had additional afebrile seizures later and were diagnosed with epilepsy. The subsequent occurrence of epilepsy in patients with a history of febrile seizures was associated with a seizure frequency of more than 10 times during the first 2 years after seizure onset (P<0.001). Factors that were associated with subsequent occurrence of epilepsy were developmental delay (P<0.001), preterm birth (P=0.001), multiple seizures during a febrile seizure attack (P=0.005), and epileptiform discharges on electroencephalography (EEG) (P=0.008). Other factors such as the age at onset of first seizure, seizure duration, and family history of epilepsy were not associated with subsequent occurrence of epilepsy in this study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Febrile seizures are common and mostly benign. However, careful observation is needed, particularly for prediction of subsequent epileptic episodes in patients with frequent febrile seizures with known risk factors, such as developmental delay, history of preterm birth, several attacks during a febrile episode, and epileptiform discharges on EEG.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Hye
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Byeon
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Gun Ha
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Baik-Lin
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Eun
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: So-Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Eun
keywords: Child; Epilepsy; Febrile seizure