Published online Aug 8, 2016. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v5.i3.301
Peer-review started: January 26, 2016
First decision: March 24, 2016
Revised: May 3, 2016
Accepted: July 11, 2016
Article in press: July 13, 2016
Published online: August 8, 2016
AIM: To determine the prevalence of recent immunisation amongst children under 7 years of age presenting for febrile convulsions.
METHODS: This is a retrospective study of all children under the age of seven presenting with febrile convulsions to a tertiary referral hospital in Sydney. A total of 78 cases occurred in the period January 2011 to July 2012 and were included in the study. Data was extracted from medical records to provide a retrospective review of the convulsions.
RESULTS: Of the 78 total cases, there were five medical records which contained information on whether or not immunisation had been administered in the preceding 48 h to presentation to the emergency department. Of these five patients only one patient (1.28% of the study population) was confirmed to have received a vaccination with Infanrix, Prevnar and Rotavirus. The majority of cases reported a current infection as a likely precipitant to the febrile convulsion.
CONCLUSION: This study found a very low prevalence of recent immunisation amongst children with febrile convulsions presenting to an emergency department at a tertiary referral hospital in Sydney. This finding, however, may have been distorted by underreporting of vaccination history.
Core tip: This study found a very low prevalence of recent immunisation amongst children with febrile convulsions. This finding, however, may have been distorted by underreporting of vaccination history. The use of large linked datasets may determine a more accurate estimate of the rate of febrile convulsions due to immunisation.