Sedra Mohammadi
Urmia University of Medical Science, Iran
Title: Prenatal stress potentiates febrile seizure in human offspring
Biography
Biography: Sedra Mohammadi
Abstract
Introduction & Aim: A febrile seizure is a neurological disorder that occurs following an infection that results in a rapid rise in body temperature. It commonly affects 3–5% of children between the ages of 3 months and 5 years. There is evidence suggesting that neurological disorders can be exacerbated in an offspring that was exposed to stress prenatally. This study aimed to investigate severity of febrile seizures in prenatally stressed offspring.
Method: In the current study, 158 children under 2 years old with febrile seizure were selected. Information about convulsion including seizure lasting, recurrence of seizure, age of first seizure and type of febrile seizure (simple or complex) were obtained. Questionnaire to evaluate the perceived stress and exposure to major stress during pregnancy was completed.
Results: This finding showed that both high score of perceived stress and exposure to major stress during pregnancy significantly increased seizure lasting and seizure intensity. Exposure to prenatal stress did not have any significant effects on recurrences of febrile seizure and on age of onset of first febrile seizure. Also, appearance of complex febrile seizure was significantly higher in children born from mothers with major-stress exposure compared to unexposed one.
Conclusion: This study indicated that there is a significant positive relationship between both higher perceived stress score and exposure to major stresses during pregnancy with seizure parameters in offspring.