09 January 2024 : Clinical Research
Impact of Respiratory Viruses and SARS-CoV-2 on Febrile Seizures in Saudi Children: Insights into Etiologies, Gender, and Familial Associations
Saleh Fahad AlFulayyih
1ACDEF, Sarah Saleh Al Baridi1ABEFG, Sara Amer Alomar 1BFG, Ahmed Nawfal Alshammari 1BFG, Mohammed Shahab Uddin 1ACDEF*
DOI: 10.12659/MSM.942478
Med Sci Monit 2024; 30:e942478
Table 2 Comparative clinical and virological characteristics stratified by seizure type.Clinical and virological attributes of 71 pediatric patients, aged 6 months to 5 years, diagnosed with febrile seizures between 2017 and 2021 at a single medical center in Saudi Arabia, further stratified by the type of seizure: simple versus complex.
| Variable | Category | Seizure type | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N=71 | Simple =49 | Complex=22 | ||
| Age (median, IQR) | 19.00 [12.00, 35.00] | 20.50 [13.50, 48.00] | 0.347 | |
| Sex (%) | Male | 25 (51.0) | 7 (31.8) | 0.213 |
| Female | 24 (49.0) | 15 (68.2) | ||
| Duration of fever (days; median, IQR) | 3.00 [1.00, 4.00] | 1.50 [1.00, 3.00] | 0.068 | |
| Temperature on admission (°C; median, IQR) | 37.90 [37.40, 39.00] | 37.90 [37.00, 38.65] | 0.384 | |
| Maximum temperature (°C; median, IQR) | 39.10 [38.70, 39.40] | 39.05 [39.00, 39.38] | 0.635 | |
| Family history of seizure (%) | YesNo | 16 (32.7) | 9 (40.9) | 0.686 |
| 33 (67.3) | 13 (59.1) | |||
| Length of hospital stay (days; median, IQR) | 3.00 [2.00, 3.00] | 3.00 [2.25, 4.75] | 0.007*** | |
| Virus (%) | Human rhinovirus/enterovirus | 15 (30.6) | 2 (9.1) | 0.116 |
| Influenza A or B | 14 (28.6) | 5 (22.7) | ||
| Adenovirus | 5 (10.2) | 8 (36.4) | ||
| Parainfluenza | 4 (8.2) | 2 (9.1) | ||
| RSV | 4 (8.2) | 2 (9.1) | ||
| Others | 7 (14.3) | 3 (13.6) | ||
| SARSCov2 (%) | Yes | 9 (18.4) | 1 (4.5) | 0.238 |
| No | 40 (81.6) | 21 (95.5) | ||
| Co-infection (%) | Yes | 14 (28.6) | 6 (27.3) | 1.000 |
| No | 35 (71.4) | 16 (72.7) | ||
| Lumber puncture (%) | Yes | 7 (14.3) | 10 (45.5) | 0.011 |
| No | 42 (85.7) | 12 (54.5) | ||
| *** IQR – interquartile range; RSV – respiratory syncytial virus. | ||||