The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a common cause of febrile seizures (FS), especially after the Omicron surge. This study aimed to determine the incidence of COVID-19-associated FS in children. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in patients aged below five years residing in the Jeonbuk province from January 2020 to June 2022 was obtained from official data provided by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security. During the same period, data on FS patients with COVID-19 were obtained from all local hospitals capable of FS treatment and were analyzed retrospectively. The number of children under five years of age in Jeonbuk was 62,772, of which 33,457 (53.2%) were diagnosed with COVID-19 during the study period. Of these, 476 patients (1.4%) required hospitalization, and 64 (0.19%, 44 boys; 68.8%: 20 girls; 31.2%) developed FS. All patients with FS presented with symptoms after the Omicron surge. Before the Omicron variant, 23.4% of the patients (89 of 381) required hospitalization; however, no children with COVID-19 were hospitalized for FS. Twenty-five patients (39.1%) had complex FS while one (1.6%) presented with febrile status epilepticus. Forty-two patients (65.6%) experienced first-time FS with an average of 1.5 convulsive events.
This study aimed to establish the medical evidence of abuse by comparing the clinical differences between children with shaken baby syndrome (SBS) who had no signs of trauma and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods: Children aged <5 years with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) were divided into SBS group and TBI group, which was developed because of intentional or accidental trauma including physical violence. We investigated clinical characteristics, ICH and brain injury patterns, funduscopic examinations, and the legal consequences for guardians. Results: Compared to TBI, children with SBS had a higher incidence of neurological symptoms, including seizures (80.0% vs. 15.4%, P=0.001) and mental changes (73.3% vs. 32.5%, P=0.003); they also had a longer time to hospitalization (SBS, 21.8±30.4 hours; TBI, 9.5±21.3 hours; P=0.046). The rate of bilateral ICH was significantly higher in the SBS group (73.3% vs. 19.0%, P=0.001). In the TBI group, the incidence of epidural hemorrhage (EDH) and subdural hemorrhage was equal (42.3%), but EDH was not seen in the SBS group. Multistage ICH (58.3%) and diffusion-limiting lesions (75.0%) were common in SBS, with high mortality and neurological sequelae (86.7%). Nevertheless, only a few guardians (13.3%) were separated from the victim and only one person (6.7%) who confessed to abuse was detained. Conclusion: Children with SBS who have never been affected to external physical forces can have multistage and bilateral ICH with severe brain damage, which is clinically different from TBI. Our data suggest that adequate protection and active legal actions are required in order to protect children who had sufficient characteristics of SBS.
Purpose This study aimed to investigate the incidence of febrile seizures (FS) associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children and examine the variation in these incidences after the Omicron surge. Methods The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases aged below 5 years residing in the Jeonbuk province from January 2020 to June 2022 was obtained from official data released by the Korean government. During the same period, data regarding FS patients with COVID-19 were obtained from all local hospitals capable of FS treatment in Jeonbuk. The data were analyzed retrospectively. Results The number of children under 5 years of age in Jeonbuk was 62,772, of which 33,457 (53.2%) were diagnosed with COVID-19 during the study period. Of these, 476 patients (1.4%) required hospitalization and 64 (0.19%, 44 boys: 20 girls) developed FS. Until 2021, before the Omicron surge, 23.4% of the patients (89 of 381) required hospitalization, but no children with COVID-19 were hospitalized for FS. However, after the Omicron surge in 2022, 16.5% of hospitalized children (64 of 387) experienced FS, despite the decline in hospitalization rates among COVID-19 patients (1.2%). Twenty-five patients (39.1%) had complex FS, and one (1.6%) presented with febrile status epilepticus. Forty-two patients (65.6%) experienced first-time FS, with an average of 1.5 convulsive events. Conclusions During the COVID-19 pandemic, the incidence of FS was approximately 0.19%; however, after the emergence of the Omicron variant, FS occurred more frequently and became more complex.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.