A retrospective study of the relation between vaccination and occurrence of seizures in Dravet syndrome

Dravet syndrome is a severe epileptic encephalopathy starting in the first year of life. Mutations in SCN1A can be identified in the majority of patients, and epileptic seizures in the setting of fever are a clinical hallmark. Fever is also commonly seen after vaccinations and provocation of epileptic seizures by vaccinations in patients with Dravet syndrome has been reported, but not systematically assessed. In a retrospective evaluation of 70 patients with Dravet syndrome and SCN1A mutations, seizures following vaccinations were reported in 27%. In 58% of these patients vaccination-related seizures represented the first clinical manifestation. The majority of seizures occurred after DPT vaccinations and within 72 h after vaccination. Two-thirds of events occurred in the context of fever. Our findings highlight seizures after vaccinations as a common feature in Dravet syndrome and emphasize the need for preventive measures for seizures triggered by vaccination or fever in these children.