Unconsciousness and delirious behavior in children with febrile seizures.

The aim of this study is to clarify the incidence and clinical features of prolonged unconsciousness and delirious behavior in children with febrile seizures. We studied 213 consecutive febrile seizures during 208 febrile episodes in 203 patients. The seizure manifestations, the duration of seizures, the duration of unconsciousness, and the presence or absence of delirious behavior were determined on the basis of interviews with the parents with the assistance of medical records. The duration of seizures was less than 5 minutes in 90.2% of the seizures. The duration of unconsciousness was less than 30 minutes in 93% of the seizures. Delirious behavior was observed in 2.0% of the patients. Delirious behavior appeared before febrile seizures, and its duration was not long. On multiple regression analysis, nongeneralized seizures, seizures of >/=5 minutes, and intravenous diazepam were demonstrated to be independently associated with prolonged unconsciousness. In conclusion, prolonged unconsciousness and delirious behavior are rare in children with febrile seizures. Careful diagnostic evaluation is necessary when a child with febrile seizures has associated prolonged unconsciousness or delirious behavior.