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. 2022 Mar;111(3):586-592.
doi: 10.1111/apa.16171. Epub 2021 Nov 23.

Neurodevelopmental problems in children with febrile seizures followed to young school age: A prospective longitudinal community-based study in Sweden

Gill Nilsson  1 , Sebastian Lundström  1 , Elisabeth Fernell  1 , Christopher Gillberg  1
Affiliations

Neurodevelopmental problems in children with febrile seizures followed to young school age: A prospective longitudinal community-based study in Sweden

Gill Nilsson et al. Acta Paediatr. 2022 Mar.

Abstract

Aim: To estimate the accumulated prevalence of neurodevelopmental problems from preschool to school age in children with a history of febrile seizures (FS).

Methods: In a community-based cohort of children with previous FS, 25/73 clinically assessed children met diagnostic criteria for neurodevelopmental disorders or had major indications of such problems at the age of 4-5 years. Parents of 54 of the 73 children accepted to take part in an interview according to the Autism-Tics, ADHD and other Comorbidities (A-TAC) inventory, when the children were 9-10 years.

Results: There was a trend for ADHD symptom scores to be higher in the FS group. Non-participants at age 9-10 years had had much higher rates of neurodevelopmental problems at 4-5 years, and the total number of such problems at either 4-5 or age 9-10 was 41% (30/73).

Conclusion: High rates of neurodevelopmental problems (41%) were found at either age 4-5 or 9-10 years or both in this group of 73 children with FS. Non-participants at 9-10 years had had much higher rates of neurodevelopmental problems at 4-5 years. Further follow-up of this cohort is needed before definite conclusions can be drawn about whether FS should be considered a marker for more complex neurodevelopmental problems.

Keywords: A-TAC; ADHD; DCD; ESSENCE; febrile seizures; follow-up; interview.

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References

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