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  • Review Article
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The mortality and morbidity of febrile seizures

Abstract

Approaches to the treatment and investigation of febrile seizures have changed since the main reference studies on outcomes were conducted in the 1960s and 1970s. We have, therefore, conducted a systematic review of literature from the past 15 years to see whether outcomes have also changed. We found that simple febrile seizures do not carry a risk of death, but there is a very small risk of death after complex febrile seizures (CFSs), particularly febrile status epilepticus. There is no evidence that SUDEP (sudden unexpected death in epilepsy) occurs in association with febrile seizures. The risk of later epilepsy after a febrile seizure lies between 2.0% and 7.5%, and the risk of developing epilepsy after CFSs is estimated at around 10–20%. There is no evidence of any risk of hippocampal or mesial temporal sclerosis (HS/MTS) in association with simple febrile seizures. Serial imaging has shown that HS/MTS develops in 0–25% of patients over time after prolonged febrile seizures; the range in prevalence reflects selection bias in different studies. The overall risk of HS/MTS associated with CFSs is around 3%. Approximately 40% of patients with medically refractory temporal lobe epilepsy and HS/MTS on neuroimaging have a history of febrile seizures.

Key Points

  • Simple febrile seizures are not associated with notable mortality or risk of hippocampal changes, and these seizures carry only a small risk of subsequent epilepsy

  • Complex febrile seizures are associated with a small increase in the risk of death and with a higher risk of development of subsequent epilepsy compared with simple febrile seizures

  • Hippocampal sclerosis or mesial temporal sclerosis can develop after FSE, but the risk such development is probably low

  • MRI abnormalities are common in the aftermath of FSE, but most of these abnormalities are largely attributable to reversible—possibly edematous—changes in the hippocampus; only a small proportion of cases evolve to hippocampal sclerosis

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Chungath, M., Shorvon, S. The mortality and morbidity of febrile seizures. Nat Rev Neurol 4, 610–621 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncpneuro0922

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