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. 2006 Mar 29;116(2):195–199. doi: 10.1016/S0022-3476(05)82874-4

Viral infections and recurrences of febrile convulsions*

Heikki Rantala a,b,1, Matti Uhari a,b, Hanna Tuokko a,b
PMCID: PMC7172996  PMID: 2299489

Abstract

To determine whether complicated febrile seizures occur more often in children with a proven viral infection, we performed viral examinations on 144 children with febrile convulsions, of whom 112 had simple and 32 had complicated seizures. A diagnosis of virus infection was verified in 46% of the former patients and 53% of the latter. Three adenoviruses, one parainfluenza virus type 2 and one type 3, one respiratory syncytial virus, one echovirus type 11, one herpes simplex virus type 2, and one influenza B virus were isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid. A simple febrile convulsion occurred in seven children with a positive cerebrospinal fluid viral isolation, and two had a complex febrile seizure. In a follow-up of 2 to 4 years (mean 3.3 years), 21 of the 107 children with simple seizures (19.6%) and 3 of the 32 children with complicated seizures (9.4%) had recurrent febrile seizures. The children with positive evidence for a viral infection, even with a virus isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid, had no more recurrences than those without any proven viral infection. We conclude that children with a proven viral infection have no worse prognosis than those without.

Footnotes

*

Supported by the Alma and K. A. Snellman Foundation, Oulu, Finland, and the Emil Aaltonep Foundation, Tampere, Finland.

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