Effectiveness of daily phenobarbital in the prevention of febrile seizure recurrences in "simple" febrile convulsions and "epilepsy triggered by fever".

Of 290 children with an initial febrile convulsion, 216 met Livingston's criteria for a "simple" febrile convulsion and 74 for "epilepsy triggered by fever." Daily phenobarbital produced a significant decrease in febrile seizure recurrences in both groups, as compared to children who received phenobarbital at the onset of fever and those who received no phenobarbital prophylaxis. Although statistically significant in both groups, the effectiveness of daily phenobarbital was more pronounced in the "epilepsy with fever" children.