All issues > Volume 27(7); 1984

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1984;27(7):725-732. Published online July 31, 1984.

A Clinicoelectroencephalographic Study of Febrile Convulsion in Childhood.

Kwang Shim, Ook Jung Kang, Sa Jun Chung, Chang Il Ahn

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee Univer city, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

This study was attempted to reveal the clinical and electrcencephalcgraphic findings of febrile convulsion in children. The subjects were 236 cases, from 6 mos. of age to 15 years of age, who visited to Kyung Hee University Hospital and were diagnosed as febrile convulsion between Jan. 1978 and Aug. 1983. They were classified into 2 categories; simple febrile convulsion (SFC) and complex febrile convulsion(CFC) on the basis of clinical findings, who were examined in terms of EEG and clinical characteristics. The results were as follows: 1)The most frequent febrile convulsion was noticed in group of 1 to 3 years of age, which occupied 50.4% of total febrile convulsion cases and 3 to 6 years of age, 6 mos. to 1 year of age and over 6 years of age in order frequency. 2) Male to female ratio was 2:1. 3)The causes of febrile convulsion, in order frequency, were upper respiratory infection (70.7%), pneumonia(5.5%), dysentery(5.5%) and exanthem subitum(4.2%). Causes was not established in 3.8%. 4)The EEG findings were normal in 75.8% of total cases and the group of mild abnormality was most dominant among groups of EEG abnormality. 5)The incidence of normal EEG in SFC were 98.2% and the incidence of normal and abnormal EEG in CFC were 18.2% and 81.8% respectively. 6) The most common abnormal EEG finding in febrile convulsion was slow wave(36.4%) and the least was spike and wave omplex(10.5%). 7)The frequency of afebrile convulsion after febrile convulsion attacks were 1.8% in a group of normal EEG findings and 33.3% in abnormal and the most common abnormal EEG was multiple spikes. 8)No relationship was observed between EEG findings and recurence rate of febrile convulsion, but afebrile convulsion was more frequently noticed in abnormal EEG group than normal. 9) In follow-up EEG tracing, normalization of EEG findings after 10 days of seizure attack was noticed in 90.0% of SFC group and in 12.0% of CFC group.

Keywords :Febrile convulsion; EEG