Objective: Febrile seizure is one of the most prevalent childhood convulsions with the most common age of onset at 14-18 mo old. Fever decreases the brain threshold for seizure. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is also a neurologic-behavioral problem defined by attention deficit and hyperactivity according to DSM-IV criteria in which the child must have these signs in two different environments. There is controversy on the possible relation between febrile seizure and ADHD; while some studies approve a strong relation, some exclude any relation and some attribute ADHD to the side effects of other reasons.
Materials & methods: This descriptive-analytic study enrolled all children of 3-12 yr old with febrile seizure (according to Nelson Pediatrics Textbook diagnosed by the pediatrician in charge) referring to Amir Kabir Hospital, Arak, central Iran in 2010-2011. Overall, 103 of them with no corporeal or psychological disorder (like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and other CNS maternal disease) were compared to 103 children of the same age and gender admitted due to disease other than febrile seizure utilizing DSM IV criteria for ADHD. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 18.
Results: The hyperactivity disorder in the control and case group was 34.3% and 16.7%, respectively, denoted a significant relation between simple febrile seizure and hyperactivity.
Conclusion: Hyperactivity has a significant relation with febrile seizure in male gender, making further investigation in these children prudent for early diagnosis and management.
Keywords: ADHD; Children; Febrile seizure.