Febrile seizure (FS) is among the leading cause of pediatric admissions in developing
countries. The etiologic patterns of FS among children attending Pediatric Emergency
of Ekiti State Teaching Hospital in Ado Ekiti were studied. A prospective study of
children who had FS was carried out. A prevalence of 2.9% was found and malaria was
the leading cause of FS in 111 (85.4%) patients. Seventy-eight (60%) of the 130 patients
with FS had their seizure occurring within the first 24 hours of onset of fever. Malaria
was the most common cause of fever precipitating FS in the index study. Prevention
of malaria and prompt management of fever will reduce the prevalence and improve the
outcome of FS. The overall prevalence of FS is similar to developed countries and
the etiology is similar to other studies from Nigeria.
Keywords
patterns - febrile seizure - etiology - malaria
