PREVALENCE OF BACTERAEMIA AMONGST CHILDREN WITH FEBRILE SEIZURES AT THE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE HOSPITAL, IBADAN

BACKGROUND: Febrile seizures are common among children and these are known to result from the diverse aetiological factors, known to cause fever in children. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of bacteraemia amongst children with febrile seizures at the children's emergency room of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. METHODOS: This was a prospective study involving 147 children who were presented with febrile seizures over a period of 13 months at the University College Hospital Ibadan. They all had their blood cultures sample taken under aseptic conditions. Other investigations performed on them included a packed cell volume, full blood count and blood film for malaria parasite. RESULTS: A total of 83 males and 64 females with febrile seizures were studied. Their ages ranged from 4 to 60 months with a mean age of 26.35 + 13.76 months. Bacteraemia was diagnosed in 32(21.8%) of the cases. The predominant organism isolated from the blood of these patients was Staphylococcus aureus. CONCLUSION: Bacteraemia is a frequent finding in children with febrile seizures hence, it may be beneficial to carry out blood culture in such children on the suspicion of a probable bacterial infection.