Profile of children admitted with seizures in a tertiary care hospital in South India

Abstract

Background: Seizure is one of the common causes of childhood hospitalization with significant mortality and morbidity. There is limited data regarding acute seizures episodes form the developing countries. Current study aims to find the common etiology of seizure and classify seizure types and outcome in children presenting to a tertiary center in kanchipuram in south India. Methods: This was a hospital based prospective study carried out in the Department of Pediatrics, Meenakshi medical college and research institute, kanchipuram from 1 st Jan 2010 to 31 st Dec 2012.Variables record were demographics, clinical presentations, laboratory tests, brain imaging studies, electroencephalography, diagnosis and hospital course. Results: A total of 520 patients were admitted for seizures with 300 (57.7%) males and 220 (42.3%) females. Among these patients, 268(51.5%) presented with fever and 388 (74.6%) of children were less than 6 years of age. Generalized seizures were the most common seizure type (50.2%). Febrile seizures (36.5%), seizure disorder (33.2%), symptomatic seizures (20%) and space occupying lesions were common etiologies. Abnormal brain images were noted in (25%) of 424 patients and most common abnormality in space occupying lesion was neurocysticercosis (4%).