The prognosis of convulsions during childhood shigellosis

We examined the long-term outcome in 111 children who had convulsions during shigellosis and were followed for 3–18 years after the incident. No deaths or persistent motor deficits occurred as sequellae. Poor coordination of fine hand movements were noted in 3.3% of the 92 children who had no pre-existing neurological abnormality. Only 1 child developed epilepsy by the age of 8 years. Of the children 15.7% had recurrent febrile seizures. The only risk factor identified for febrile seizures following convulsions in shigellosis was a previous history (P<0.01). These observations suggest that convulsions in shigellosis have a favourable prognosis, and do not necessitate long-term follow up.