SUCCESSFUL PROPHYLAXIS OF FEBRILE CONVULSION WITH TOPIRAMATE

Objectives: Febrile convulsion (FC) is a pediatric emergency. The reiterative of FC may result in brain damage to various extents. Topiramate (TPM), serving as a antiepilepsy drug, has been applied to clinical practice for many years. This study aimed to explore the potentiality of prophylacxis of febrile convulsion with topiramate and assess the efficacy of various drugs in prevention of recurrent febrile convulsion.

Methods: seventy-eight 21-day-old male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into sodium chloride control group (NS), TPM treated, Phenobarbital (PB)-treated and valproate (VPA)-treated group. Febrile convulsions were induced by hyperthermal bath at 45_ in the present study every other day for ten times after 5 days oral administration. Rats in three medicine intervention groups were given peroral administration of TPM or VPA or PB at a dose of 40/250/40mg per kg of body weight accordingly everyday. Manifestation of convulsion and differences in convulsion latency, duration of convulsion and convulsion severity were observed in all the 4 groups.

Results: Data collected from this study indicated that continuous peroral administration of TPM or PB or VPA at a dose of 40/250/40mg per kg of body weight before febrile convulsion could result in improvement of the clinical manifestation of the rats caused by febrile convulsion. Specifically speaking, the convulsion latency was prolonged, the duration of convulsion was shorter and severity of convulsion was reduced. Besides, the durations of convulsion were significantly shorter in rats in TPM treated group than those in PB-treated and VPA-treated group. Severity of convulsion was significantly reduced in rats in TPM-treated and PB-treated group than those in VPA-treated group.

Conclusion: Continuous administered three antiepilepsy drugs were found to be effective in preventing recurrent febrile convulsion. Among them, TPM was likely the best.