Incidence and predictors of neonatal seizures among neonates admitted in Debre Markos Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia. A prospective follow-up study.

INTRODUCTION: Neonatal seizures are the most common neurological problem among newborns. To date, scientific studies on the incidence and predictors of neonatal seizures in African countries, including Ethiopia are scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the incidence and predictors of neonatal seizures among neonates admitted to Debre Markos comprehensive Specialized Hospital.

METHODS: An institutional-based prospective follow-up study was conducted i n Debre Markos comprehensive specialized hospital from February 1 , 2022 to January 30, 2023. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select a total of 198 neonates. Data were entered into Epi-Data 4.2 and then exported to STATA version 14.1 for analysis. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve and the log-rank test were computed to explore the descriptive statistics. Variables with a p-value ≤0.2 in bi-variable Cox-regression were selected for multivariable Cox-regression analysis. Finally, a p-value of <0.05 was used to declare the statistical significance of the association with the outcome variable.

RESULTS: The overall incidence rate of neonatal seizures was 35 per 1000 person-day observations. The mean follow-up time for this study was 123.4 h. The cumulative survival probability of neonates' at 0 to 24 and 0-72 h was 89.8 % and 81.71 %, respectively. The statistically significant predictors for the incidence of neonatal seizures were perinatal asphyxia (AHR = 10.95; 95%CI: 4.81, 24.93), subgaleal hemorrhage (AHR = 5.17; 95%CI: 2.09, 12.79), and gestational age <37 weeks (AHR = 4.62; 95%CI: 1.62, 13.22).

CONCLUSIONS: The incidence rate of neonatal seizures in this study was high. Neonates born with gestational age <37 weeks, having perinatal asphyxia, and having subgaleal hemorrhage were statistical predictors for the incidence of neonatal seizures. Thus, healthcare professionals should give special attention to neonates born with gestational age <37 weeks, prevent perinatal asphyxia and subgaleal hemorrhage.