The weather condition and epidemics as triggers for febrile seizure: A single-center retrospective observational study.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to investigate the association between the weather and epidemic condition and risk of febrile seizures (FSs) in Japan.

STUDY

DESIGN

This single-center, retrospective study included 560 children (age, 6-60 months) with FSs who were transported to our center by ambulance from January 2011 through December 2018. The weather (temperature, atmospheric pressure, relative air humidity, amount of rainfall, sunshine duration, and air concentration of nitrogen dioxide [NO2] and sulfur dioxide [SO2]) and epidemic (influenza virus infection, infectious gastroenteritis, and exanthem subitum) conditions in this region were compared between the periods (days or weeks) with the transportation of children with FS to our hospital and those without such transportation.

RESULTS

In the univariate analyses, neither daily or weekly weather condition nor weekly epidemic condition was correlated to FS transportation. Furthermore, the multiple logistic regression analysis suggested that epidemic influenza virus infection (odds ratio [OR], 1.34; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08-1.73) and infectious gastroenteritis (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.09-2.54) were the independent risk factors for FS occurrence and weather condition was not associated with FS risk.

CONCLUSIONS

Febrile seizure incidence may be increased by epidemic febrile infections but not by weather condition.