Febrile Seizures

Febrile seizures are the most common type of seizures in children. Febrile seizures are convulsions brought on by a rectal temperature greater than 102 degrees Fahrenheit in infants or small children. They generally last a few seconds to more than 15 minutes, but most last a minute or two. The child often loses consciousness and shakes, moving limbs on both sides of the body, during a febrile seizure. Less often, the child becomes rigid or twitches in only a part or one side of the body. Approximately one in 25 children, ages 6 months to 5 years, will have at least one febrile seizure, and more than one-third of these children will have additional febrile seizures, before they outgrow the tendency to have them. They are most common in toddlers, and rarely happen before 6 months, or after 3 years.

Risk factors for having recurrent febrile seizures, are the age of the first seizure (less than 15 months), the frequency of fevers, and having immediate family members with a history of febrile seizures. Between 95 and 98 percent of children who experience febrile seizures do not develop epilepsy, even when the seizures last more than 1 hour.

While febrile seizures are frightening, most are short and harmless. Since there is a small chance the child can fall, or choke, place the child on the floor or ground, on his/her side or stomach. Anything in the mouth should be gently removed, if possible. Never put anything in the child’s mouth during a convulsion, as it can be broken and cause obstruction of the airway. Do not hold or restrain the child during a convulsion. Stay calm and carefully observe, registering when the seizure starts and the duration (if the seizure lasts 10 minutes, immediately go to the nearest medical facility). Once the seizure has ended, take the child to his/her doctor to determine the cause of the fever. Especially, observe symptoms of stiff neck, extreme lethargy, or abundant vomiting, and report the symptoms to the doctor.

No research and/or statistics shows any evidence that short febrile seizures cause brain damage. Large studies have found that children with febrile seizures have normal school achievement and perform as well on intellectual tests as their siblings without seizure activity.