Prolonged Febrile Seizure and Long-Term Neurological Sequelae in Otherwise Healthy Children

Abstract

The association between prolonged febrile seizure and long-term neurological sequelae in otherwise healthy children remains unclear. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using a Japanese nationwide medical database. In the cohort of 38,465 children with febrile seizures, 610 and 31,157 were classified into the prolonged and non-prolonged groups, respectively. Within a median of 2.70 years of follow-up, the risk of subsequent epilepsy was significantly higher in the prolonged febrile seizure group (hazard ratio, 3.99; 95% confidence interval, 2.40–6.64). The risk of neurodevelopmental disorders was similar between the two groups (hazard ratio, 1.39; 95% confidence interval, 1.00–1.79). ANN NEUROL 2025;97:688–693.