Reported Seizures in Early Childhood: a 14‐year Follow‐up

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Abstract
A detailed medical history is commonly regarded as a reliable means of classifying unexplained childhood losses of consciousness into diagnostic groups such as febrile seizures, epileptic attacks and breath-holding spells. This assumption was tested by comparing adolescent follow-up status with the initial medical history in 56 individuals who suffered sudden losses of consciousness before age 5 yr. Only 3 of these 56 were epileptic when follow-up in adolescence and only 2 had received anticonvulsants at any time. The prognosis for 26 individuals with afebrile seizures without evidence of breath-holding syncope was not significantly worse than that for another 16 with febrile seizures. A good prognosis is indicated for untreated childhood seizures for a type often classified as epileptic.