Prabhashwara Kularathne¹, Mihira Manamperi¹, Rasara Karawita¹, Chathuri Bandara¹, Jayathma Vithana¹
1- Paediatric Department, Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital, Sri Lanka
Corresponding Author:
Prabhashwara Kularathne (
prabhashwarakularathne@gmail.com)
Abstract Body
Introduction: Febrile convulsions (FC) are common in childhood. Simple febrile convulsions (SFC) and complex febrile convulsions (CFC) are considered benign. Presence of neurocutaneous skin lesions (NCSL) are also common in absence of a neurocutaneous syndrome (NCS).
Objectives: Study aimed to determine the prevalence of NCSL in FC children, to assess whether this prevalence is higher than the general population; and to evaluate whether NCSL are associated with CFC and recurrence risk.
Methods: Cross-sectional-descriptive-analytical study conducted at Jayewardenepura Hospital. Estimated sample size was 64. FC children based on International League Against Epilepsy criteria were included, while those with diagnosed Neurocutaneous-Syndromes were excluded. Data regarding current and past FC episodes, NCSL characters were assessed and analysed.
Results: 82 children presenting with FC were included. Of these,24.4% had CFC at some point, 32.9% had experienced at least one recurrence, and 52.4% had at least one NCSL. Commonest NCSL were café-au-lait spots (31.7%), hypomelanotic macules (13.4%) followed by hemangiomas (6.5%). Prevalence of café-au-lait spots and hypomelanotic macules in this sample was higher than the general population (≈10% and ≈4 5%,respectively;p0.05).
Conclusion: According to this study, café-au-lait spots and hypomelanotic macules were more frequent in FC children compare to general population. However, NCSL presence, number, or size was not associated with an increased risk of CFC or recurrence. Confirmation of these findings requires large sample longitudinal study.