Prevalence and Home Management Practice Of Febrile Convulsion Among Children Admitted In a Tertiary Institute Of A Developing Country

Abstract

Introduction/Objectives

Febrile convulsion (FC) is a convulsion triggered by fever of extra-cranial origin in young children between the ages of 3 months and 5 years. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence and home management practices of children admitted in the children emergency room (CHER), UCTH, Calabar, Nigeria.

Methods/Materials

A cross-sectional descriptive study, carried out using quantitative and qualitative methods (admission register and key informant interview). Any child with febrile convulsion admitted into CHER from June 2017 to May 2018 was recruited for the study and his/her caregiver was interviewed on the home practices in the management of FC. Quantitative data was analyzed with SPSS version 22.0 while thematic coding was used for the qualitative data.

Results

Out of 1,093 total admissions for the periodunder review, 37 had FC giving a prevalence of 3.4% with a M:F ratio of 1.1:1. Malaria was the most common cause in 59.5%. Caregivers treated FC at home by giving the children palm oil, palm kernel oil and crude oil to drink, rubbing olive oil, heating child’s feet on fire and using spoon to keep the mouth open, while some rushed the child to the hospital immediately.

Conclusion

The prevalence of FC was low and most of the home remedies applied by caregivers were harmful. It is recommended that there is need to intensify health education and create more awareness on the proper management of FC among caregivers in Calabar.