National survey of factors associated with repeated admissions due to febrile seizure

Purpose: Several studies reported recent trends in febrile seizure (FS) in terms of prevalence, incidence, and hospitalization rates at a national level in the USA. However, no studies have revealed risk factors for repeated admissions due to FS. Method: We extracted discharge records of patients with FS aged < 6 years for the years 2010-14 using the Nationwide Readmission. Data were weighted to estimate the readmission rates and ascertain the factors associated with readmission due to FS, using multivariable negative binomial regression and Cox proportional hazard models. Results: The readmission rate of FS is approximately 3.45 cases per 1000 person-months after hospital discharge. Children aged 1-3 years had elevated rate of FS readmission with a peak age of 2 (adjusted IRR, 5.09; 95%CI, 2.25-11.5). Boys had 1.75 times higher rates of FS readmission than girls (95%CI, 1.13-2.70). Children with very-low income levels were more likely to be readmitted, compared to those with very-high income levels (adjusted IRR, 2.57; 95%CI, 1.39-4.76). Conclusions: We provided novel insights into the current epidemiology of children with FS and risk factors associated with FS readmissions.