Prophylactic drug management for febrile seizures in children (Review)

Abstract BackgroundFebrile seizures occurring in a child older than one month during an episode of fever affect 2% to 4% of children in Great Britain and the United States and recur in 30%. Rapid‐acting antiepileptics and antipyretics given during subsequent fever episodes have been used to avoid the adverse effects of continuous antiepileptic drugs. ObjectivesTo evaluate the effectiveness and safety of antiepileptic and antipyretic drugs used prophylactically to treat children with febrile seizures. Search methodsWe searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2011. Issue 3); MEDLINE (1966 to May 2011); EMBASE (1966 to May 2011); Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE) (May 2011). No language restrictions were imposed. We also contacted researchers in the field to identify continuing or unpublished studies. Selection criteriaTrials using randomised or quasi‐randomised patient allocation that compared the use of antiepileptic or antipyretic agents with each other, placebo or no treatment. Data collection and analysisTwo review authors (RN and MO) independently applied pre‐defined criteria to select trials for inclusion and extracted the pre‐defined relevant data, recording methods for randomisation, blinding and exclusions. Outcomes assessed were seizure recurrence at 6, 12, 18, 24, 36 months and at age 5 to 6 years in the intervention and non‐intervention groups, and adverse medication effects. The pre...
Source: Evidence-Based Child Health: A Cochrane Review Journal - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Intervention Review Source Type: research