Introduction: Neonatal seizures (NS) carry a major risk for morbidity and mortality. It is crucial to recognize risk factors associated with a higher risk for NS.
Patients and Methods: Retrospective case control study conducted at Emek Medical Center between 2001 and 2016. Cases were defined as all neonates diagnosed with NS developed up to age 28 days. Controls were randomly selected from the population of children born at the same years who did not experience seizures and were matched for the birth year.
Results: 118 infants with NS as cases and 236 infants as controls were examined. Factors that carried a higher risk for seizure included an Arab ethnicity (OR 1.56, P=0.04), Being a first child (OR 2.35, P <0.05), maternal age older than 35 (OR 1.98, P=0.01), Placental abruption (OR 12, P=0.001), C-section (OR 4.02, P=0.001). Gestational age; 35.9±5.0 in the case group vs 39.0±1.8 in the control group (P=0.001), mean birth weight; 2616±997 in the case group versus 3171±494 in the control group (P=0.001). Apgar score of < 7 at minutes 1 and 5 (P=0.001), cord artery Ph
Discussion: Larger prospective studies are needed in order to better understand hoe ethnicity affects the risk for NS.
