Risk of developmental, behavioral problems not up in young children with febrile seizures after vaccination
WEDNESDAY, July 1, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Young children experiencing an initial vaccine-proximate (VP) febrile seizure (FS) do not have increased risk of developmental or behavioral problems, according to a study published online July 1 in Neurology.
Lucy Deng, M.B.B.S., from The Children’s Hospital at Westmead in Australia, and colleagues compared the developmental and behavioral outcomes of children experiencing an initial VP-FS to those having a non-VP-FS (NVP-FS) and controls who have not had a seizure (62, 70, and 90 children, respectively). Children with their first FS before age 30 months were recruited from four Australian pediatric hospitals and classified as having VP-FS or NVP-FS.
The researchers found that cognitive function did not differ significantly for children with VP-FS, children with NVP-FS, and controls, as measured with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development. For all other measures, there were no differences noted between the groups, and no increased risk of borderline/significant impairment or behavior in the clinical range was seen for children with VP-FS or NVP-FS or controls.
“At a time when there is a global resurgence of measles, our findings are particularly important in reassuring parents and providers about the safety of vaccines and in enhancing immunization provider and public knowledge of and confidence in the benefit-to-risk profile of vaccination,” the authors write.
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