Febrile Seizures in Children at the Departmental Teaching Hospital of Ouémé Plateau: Etiologies and Risk Factors for Death

Abstract

Background: Febrile seizures are the most frequent neurological disorder in pediatrics. They have multiple etiologies and require urgent management. The aim of this survey was to study febrile seizures in children at the Departmental Teaching Hospital of Ouémé Plateau (DTH/OP). Method: This was a cross-sectional survey, conducted from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020, in the pediatric department of the DTH/OP. Children aged 1 month to 18 years, hospitalized for febrile seizures recognized at the anamnesis and/or during the physical examination were included in this study. Results: The frequency of seizures was 17.08% (510/2986). The male to female ratio was equal to 1.4. The mean age was 44.27 ± 40.75 months. The seizure was generalized tonic-clonic in 77.9% of cases and localized in 11.6% of cases. The main etiologies were severe malaria (75.5%), sepsis (21.6%), enteric infections (14.9%) and pneumonia (10.2%). Diazepam was the anticonvulsant treatment used in the first intention (79.7%). Most of the children were hospitalized for 3 to 7 days. The recovery rate was 82.3% and the fatality rate was equal to 17.7%. Eight children presented sequelae. There was a statistically significant link between the children’s clinical outcome and age (p < 0.001); severe malaria (p < 0.001); sepsis (p < 0.001) and enteric infections (p = 0.003). Conclusion: Febrile seizures were frequent in the pediatric emergency department of the DTH/OP. There is a need to intensify sensitization on malaria prevention measures in the community and improve case management at the hospital.