Outcome after febrile status epilepticus.

The neurological outcome after a first febrile status epilepticus (FSE) was retrospectively studied in 57 children. Patients were aged six to 57 months at first seizure and had had no previous seizures or neurological abnormalities. 12 children (24 percent: 2-year Kaplan-Meier estimate) had subsequent neurological sequelae varying from speech deficit (n = 9) to severe neurological sequelae and epilepsy (n = 3). Speech deficit was detected after a mean period of six months. The most important predictors for sequelae were the number of different drugs needed for seizure termination and the duration of the seizure. The authors recommend that children with FSE should be followed up for at least one year so that potential speech disorders can be detected and treated.