Nitrazepam Versus Diazepam as Intermittent Prophylaxis for Febrile Seizures

Background and Objective: Benzodiazepines are used for prophylaxis of febrile seizures. This study compares the effectiveness of intermittent Nitrazepam versus Diazepam therapy in preventing the recurrence of febrile seizures. Materials and Methods: This prospective randomized controlled trial was performed on neurologically normal children aged from ۶ months to ۳ years with a history of febrile seizures without history of prescribed antiepileptic drugs and family history of epilepsy. The patients were randomly prescribed oral nitrazepam (۳۶ cases) or diazepam (۳۷ cases) at the beginning of febrile disease. They were advised to use the medication within the first ۴۸ hours of the onset of fever. All patients were followed for ۹ months since the last seizure. Results: Recurrence of seizures occurred in ۴ (۱۰.۸ %) patients of diazepam group, but it was not observed in any patients of the nitrazepam group. Age, sex, weight, height, grade of fever at the beginning of febrile seizure, seizure duration and hemoglobin level did not reveal a significant difference between the two groups of patients, and likewise, these variables did not show any statistically significant difference among patients with or without recurrence. Conclusion: Intermittent nitrazepam therapy for febrile seizure seems clinically advantageous in comparison to diazepam. To obtain more precise clinical and statistical results, further research is recommended.

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Keywords: Febrile seizure , Intermittent prophylaxis , Nitrazepam , Diazepam