Hospital Tuanku Ja'afar, Jalan Rasah, Negeri Sembilan, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Malaysia.
Hospital Tuanku Ampuan Najihah, Jalan Melang, Negeri Sembilan, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Malaysia.
Med J Malaysia. 2024 Jul;79(4):408-413.
Febrile seizures in children can be associated with various underlying conditions, including COVID-19. Differentiating COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 related febrile seizures is crucial for tailored patient management and for implementing appropriate infection control measures to prevent nosocomial transmission. This study aimed to describe the clinical features of children hospitalised for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 febrile seizures and to identify factors that differentiate between the two groups.
This retrospective cross-sectional study involved children aged 6 months to 6 years who were hospitalised for febrile seizures in Hospital Tuanku Ja'afar Seremban (HTJS) from January 2021 to June 2022. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the differences in demographics and clinical presentations. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 febrile seizures.
Of the 345 patients (median age 22 months, IQR 15- 32; 59.7% were males) included in the study, 130 (37.7%) tested positive for COVID-19, while 215 (62.3%) tested negative. There were no significant differences between both groups based on age, comorbidities, history of febrile seizures, seizure types, temperature on arrival, cough and rhinorrhoea. Multivariate analysis revealed that a family history of febrile seizures and leucocytosis were associated with increased odds of non-COVID-19 febrile seizures. In contrast, lymphopenia was associated with decreased odds.
The clinical presentation of COVID-19 and non- COVID-19 febrile seizures are remarkably similar, highlighting the importance of including COVID-19 screening in febrile seizures workup. Full blood count readings may be potentially useful for differentiating between these conditions.
儿童热性惊厥可与多种基础疾病相关，包括 COVID-19。区分 COVID-19 相关与非 COVID-19 相关热性惊厥对患者个体化管理和实施适当感染控制措施以预防医院内传播至关重要。本研究旨在描述因 COVID-19 和非 COVID-19 热性惊厥住院的儿童的临床特征，并确定区分两组的因素。
这是一项回顾性横断面研究，纳入了 2021 年 1 月至 2022 年 6 月期间因热性惊厥在 HTJS 住院的 6 个月至 6 岁儿童。采用描述性统计方法总结人口统计学和临床表现的差异。采用 logistic 回归分析确定与 COVID-19 和非 COVID-19 热性惊厥相关的因素。
在纳入的 345 例患者中（中位数年龄 22 个月，IQR 15-32；59.7%为男性），130 例（37.7%）COVID-19 检测阳性，215 例（62.3%）COVID-19 检测阴性。两组在年龄、合并症、热性惊厥史、惊厥类型、就诊时体温、咳嗽和流涕等方面无显著差异。多变量分析显示，热性惊厥家族史和白细胞增多与非 COVID-19 热性惊厥的发生几率增加相关，而淋巴细胞减少与几率降低相关。
COVID-19 和非 COVID-19 热性惊厥的临床表现极为相似，强调了在热性惊厥检查中纳入 COVID-19 筛查的重要性。全血细胞计数读数可能有助于区分这些疾病。
