Abstract

Background: The protective value of vaccines to the public has made vaccines among the major public health prophylactic measures through the entire history. However, there has been some controversy about their safety; particularly concerns have been rising about febrile seizures (FS). Vaccination was found to be the second most common cause of FS.

Methods: We research and collect relative online content for reviewing the effects of vaccine in FS.

Results: there is no causal relationship between FS and vaccination. This relationship is complex by other factors, such as age, genetic inheritance, type of vaccine, combination of different types of vaccines and the timing of vaccination.

Conclusion: In order to reduce FS after vaccination, it is important to understand the mechanism of epilepsy and relationship between specific vaccines and FS. Parents should be informed that some vaccines could be associated with an increased risk of FS, particularly, in children with personal and family history of FS. Children with genetic epilepsy syndrome are prone to seizures and certain vaccinations should be avoided in these children. It is highly recommended to choose vaccines with lower risk of developing FS and to administer these vaccines during the low risk window of immunizations schedule.

Keywords: Vaccine, febrile seizure, genetics, epilepsy, neuron, GABA.

Graphical Abstract