TITLE:
Epidemiological, Diagnostic, and Prognosis Aspects of Seizures in Children Aged 1 to 60 Months at the Dakar University Hospital Center (Senegal)
AUTHORS:
Aliou Abdoulaye Ndongo, Mame Diarra Seye, Guillaye Diagne, Aliou Thiongane, Djeneba Fafa Cisse, Younoussa Keita, Djibril Boiro, Fatou Ly, Modou Gueye, Assane Sylla
KEYWORDS:
Seizures, Child, Epileptic Seizure, Meningitis, Cerebral Malaria
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.16 No.1,
January
16,
2026
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Convulsions and epileptic seizures refer to the same phenomenon, characterized by a hypersynchronous, abnormal, and excessive discharge of a population of neurons propagating within the cortex. The main objective of this study was to describe the epidemiological, diagnostic, and prognostic aspects of seizures in children at the University Hospital Center of Dakar (Senegal). Methodology: This was a two-center, retrospective, descriptive, and analytical study conducted over a two-year period, from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2023, in the pediatric departments of the Abass NDAO Hospital Center (CHAN) and the Albert Royer National Children’s Hospital Center of Dakar (CHNEAR). All children aged one to 60 months who presented with at least one seizure upon admission were included. The data was entered into Excel 2021 and analyzed with RStudio-2024.09.1-394 software. Results: During the study, 2185 children were hospitalized, including 182 for seizures, representing a hospital prevalence of 8.4%. The median age was 25.3 months, and the male-to-female ratio was 1.6. Psychomotor developmental delay was noted in 20 children (10.9%). A family history of epilepsy was found in 10 children (5.49%). The reasons for hospitalization were predominantly generalized seizures (n = 80, or 43.9%). Fever was noted in 31.87% of the children. 9.34% of the children were obtunded, 18.13% were in a coma, and 72.53% were conscious. The most common cause of illness was febrile seizures (31.87%), followed by epilepsy (22.53%) and metabolic disorders (19.7%). Central nervous system infections accounted for 12.08% of cases, including meningitis (9.34%) and cerebral malaria (2.74%). Diazepam was used in 53.85% of cases, followed by midazolam (24.18%) and phenobarbital (17.58%). The outcome was favorable in 89.01% of cases. Complications were predominantly neurological (7.69%). Fifteen children died (8.24%). The unfavorable evolution of seizures in children was statistically associated with the time of seizures before hospitalization ≥ 5 days (p = 0.01), the presence of generalized seizures (p 50 mg/l (p = 0.04). Conclusion: Seizures are a particularly frequent medical emergency in pediatrics, primarily affecting children under five years of age. Due to their potential to be life-threatening, rapid and appropriate management is essential to prevent long-term consequences and death.