Assessment of the association between Apgar scores and seizures in infants less than 1 year old

•Low Apgar scores are the most significant risk factors for seizure disorders in infants.•Strong correlation between Apgar scores and incidence of seizures in full-term infants.•Strong correlation between Apgar scores and incidence of seizures in normal birth weight infants.•Apgar scores are inversely correlated with EEG findings.•Brain MRI findings are correlated with 1-min Apgar scores.

PurposeThe study aimed to assess the association between Apgar scores at 1 and 5 min after birth and seizures in infants less than 1 year old.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective, observational, hospital-based study by utilising medical records from the Chung-Ang University Hospital admissions from January 2006 to May 2015 in order to identify infants less than 1 year old who had a history of seizures. Using electronic medical records, infants who were diagnosed with infantile seizures at the Chung-Ang University Hospital from January 2006 to May 2015 were included in the seizure group (n = 93), and a control group consisting of 296 age-matched cases without a history of seizures was selected from a group of infants born at Chung-Ang University Hospital during the same study period.ResultsWe found that Apgar scores were significant risk factors for infantile seizures. Apgar scores differed depending on gestational age and birth weight. We found strong associations between Apgar scores and infantile seizures in the full-term and the normal-birth weight groups (bodyweight ≥2.5 kg), regardless of delivery mode. The Apgar scores were inversely correlated with the EEG class, and only the 1-min Apgar scores were correlated with MRI findings.ConclusionLow Apgar scores are significant perinatal risk factors for infantile seizures, especially in full-term and normal-birth weight infants, and have a strong negative linear relationship with EEG and brain MRI results in the seizure group.