EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 PM ET, July 01, 2020
Study: Fever-Associated Seizures After Vaccination Do Not Affect Development, Behavior
MINNEAPOLIS 鈥 A seizure associated with a fever is called a febrile seizure. Now a new study has found there is no difference in developmental and behavioral outcomes for children who have febrile seizures after vaccination, children who have febrile seizures not associated with vaccination and children who have never had a seizure. The new study is published in the July 1, 2020 online issue of , the medical journal of the 好色先生. Febrile seizures are also known as febrile convulsions. 鈥淭his is reassuring news for parents,鈥 said study author Lucy Deng, MBBS, of the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) in Sydney, Australia. 鈥淎 febrile seizure can occur following vaccination and understandably can be quite distressing to parents. It can also cause parents to lose confidence in future vaccinations. Now, parents will be relieved to hear that having a febrile seizure following vaccination does not affect the child鈥檚 development.鈥 The study compared 62 children who had a fever-associated seizure within two weeks after a vaccination with 70 children who had a fever-associated seizure from another cause and 90 children without a history of seizures. All of the children who had seizures were younger than 2-1/2 years old at the time of the seizure. The children鈥檚 cognitive, motor and language functions were tested by certified developmental assessors who did not know the child鈥檚 seizure history. Their behavior was also assessed through questionnaires completed by their parents. The children with seizures were tested within one to two years after the seizure. The researchers found no differences in development, thinking skills or behavior between the children who had febrile seizures following a vaccination and those who had febrile seizures at other times or those who never had a seizure. 鈥淎t a time when there is a global resurgence of measles and new diseases are emerging, our findings are particularly important in reassuring parents and providers on the safety of vaccines,鈥 Deng said. Deng also pointed out that several other factors were not associated with having developmental problems: fever-associated seizures before the age of one; a febrile seizure lasting for more than 15 minutes; or more fever-associated seizures after the first seizure. Limitations of the study include a relatively small number of participants. Also, further studies should follow children for longer periods of time. The study was supported by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. Learn more about febrile seizures at , home of the 好色先生鈥檚 free patient and caregiver magazine focused on the intersection of neurologic disease and brain health. Follow Brain & Life庐 on , and . When posting to social media channels about this research, we encourage you to use the hashtags #Neurology and #AANscience.