Potential Role of Febrile Seizures and Other Risk Factors Associated With Sudden Deaths in Children

Key Points Question Are febrile seizures associated with increased risk of sudden deaths in young children, and could febrile seizures contribute to some deaths? Findings In this case series of 391 children from 18 countries, febrile seizure rates were increased among both sudden explained and sudden unexplained deaths compared with the general population, suggesting that seizures contributed to some of these deaths. No sudden deaths occurred in more than 3100 life-years among siblings of children with sudden unexplained death. Meaning Patients with febrile seizures are at increased risk for sudden death, but the risk is small; identifying clinical features or biomarkers of high risk is essential to develop and assess preventive strategies.