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Birth characteristics and risk of febrile seizures
Author(s) -
Christensen Kirstine J.,
Dreier Julie W.,
Skotte Line,
Feenstra Bjarke,
Grove Jakob,
Børglum Anders,
Mitrovic Mitja,
Cotsapas Chris,
Christensen Jakob
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
acta neurologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.967
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1600-0404
pISSN - 0001-6314
DOI - 10.1111/ane.13420
Subject(s) - medicine , pediatrics , gestational age , febrile seizure , birth weight , interquartile range , incidence (geometry) , epilepsy , cohort , cohort study , cumulative incidence , pregnancy , psychiatry , genetics , physics , optics , biology
Objective Febrile seizure is a common childhood disorder that affects 2–5% of all children, and is associated with later development of epilepsy and psychiatric disorders. This study determines how the incidence of febrile seizures correlates with birth characteristics, age, sex and brain development. Methods This is a cohort study of all children born Denmark between 1977 and 2011 who were alive at 3 months of age (N = 2,103,232). The Danish National Patient Register was used to identify children with febrile seizures up to 5 years of age. Follow‐up ended on 31 December 2016 when all cohort members had potentially reached 5 years of age. Results In total, 75,593 (3.59%, 95% CI: 3.57–3.62%) were diagnosed with febrile seizures. Incidence peaked at 16.7 months of age (median: 16.7 months, interquartile range: 12.5–24.0). The 5‐year cumulative incidence of febrile seizures increased with decreasing birth weight (<1500 g; 5.42% (95% CI: 4.98–5.88% vs. 3,000–4,000 g; 3.53% (95% CI: 3.50–3.56%)) and with decreasing gestational age at birth (31–32 weeks; 5.90% (95% CI: 5.40–6.44%) vs. 39–40 weeks; 3.56% (95% CI: 3.53–3.60)). Lower gestational age at birth was associated with higher age at onset of a first febrile seizure; an association that essentially disappeared when correcting for age from conception. Conclusions The risk of febrile seizures increased with decreasing birth weight and gestational age at birth. The association between low gestational age at birth and age at first febrile seizure suggests that onset of febrile seizures is associated with the stage of brain development.