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A febrile seizure refers to a convulsive episode occurring in a child, typically triggered by the presence of a fever. Fever is frequently caused by an infection. Young, healthy children with normal development and no prior history of neurological problems may experience febrile seizures.
When your child experiences a febrile seizure, it might be scary. Thankfully, febrile seizures are normally innocuous, only last a few minutes, and don’t usually signify a significant medical issue.
You can assist by ensuring your child’s safety throughout a febrile seizure and by providing support following it. After a febrile seizure, call your doctor to get your child evaluated as soon as you can.
Symptoms
A child having a febrile seizure typically shakes all over and falls unconscious. The child may occasionally become quite stiff or twitch only in that particular area of the body.
When having a febrile seizure, a child might:
- Have shaking or jerking of upper and lower limbs
- Experience a fever of more than 100.4 F (38.0 C)
- Become unconscious
Simple or complex febrile seizures are categorized as follows:
- Simple febrile seizures. The typical duration of this type ranges from a few seconds to 15 minutes. Simple febrile seizures don’t come back within a day and don’t affect only one part of the body.
- Complex febrile seizures. This type affects only one side of your child’s body, lasts longer than 15 minutes, or happens more than once in a 24–hour period.
Most frequently starting within a day after a fever, febrile seizures might be a child’s first indicator of illness.
After your child experiences their first febrile seizure, even if it just lasts a few seconds, take them to the doctor as soon as you can. If the seizure lasts more than five minutes or is accompanied by the following, call an ambulance to take your child to the hospital:
- Breathing problems
- Excessively sleepy
- Vomiting
- A stiff neck
Causes
Frequent febrile seizures are typically brought on by elevated body temperatures. A febrile seizure can be brought on by even a low–grade fever.
Infection
Viral infections are more frequently to blame for the fevers that result in febrile seizures than bacterial infections. The two viruses that usually cause high fevers, influenza and roseola appear to be most frequently linked to febrile seizures.
Post-vaccination seizures
Some children vaccines may raise the risk of febrile seizures. These include the measles–mumps–rubella vaccination and the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine. After receiving a vaccination, a kid may experience a low–grade fever. The seizure is brought on by the temperature, not the shot.
Risk factors
A febrile seizure is more likely to occur when certain conditions exist, such as:
- Young age. The majority of febrile seizures affect children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years, with the risk being highest between the months of 12 and 18 months.
- Family history. Some kids have the family predisposition to fever and seizures. Researchers have also connected a number of genes to a predisposition to febrile seizures.
Diagnosis
Even in children with normal development, febrile seizures can happen. To rule out any epilepsy risk factors, your doctor will carefully check your child’s medical and developmental history. Finding the source of your child’s fever is the first action you should take following a febrile seizure in a child with normal development.
Simple febrile seizures
Children who suffer their first simple febrile seizure and are up to date on their vaccines do not require testing. Based on your medical history, your doctor can identify the febrile seizure.
Your doctor could suggest tests to look for severe illnesses in kids with a delayed vaccination schedule or a compromised immune system:
- Blood examination
- Urine analysis
- A spinal tap (lumbar puncture), to determine whether your child has an infection that affects the central nervous system, such as meningitis.
Complex febrile seizures
Your doctor can also suggest an electroencephalogram (EEG), a test that gauges brain activity, to identify the underlying cause of a complex febrile seizure.
If your child has any of the following conditions, your doctor might advise a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to examine your child’s brain:
- An abnormally large head
- An abnormal neurological examination
- Signs and symptoms of elevated pressure inside the skull
- A prolonged febrile seizure that lasted longer than normal
Treatment
The majority of febrile seizures end on their own in a matter of minutes. Keep calm and take these actions if your child experiences a febrile seizure:
- Lay your child down on his/her side on a soft, flat surface so that they won’t fall.
- Begin timing the seizure.
- Remain nearby to watch over and console your child.
- Keep any sharp or hard things away from your child.
- Relax any constrictive or tight garments.
- Don’t restrain your child or impede his/her movement.
- Avoid giving your child anything to put in his/her mouth.
Call for immediate medical help if:
- Your child experiences a prolonged febrile seizure lasting longer than five minutes.
- Your child experiences repeated seizures.
- Although the seizure your child had lasted less than five minutes, they aren’t getting well right away.
More-serious episodes
To halt a seizure that lasts longer than five minutes, a doctor may prescribe medication.
Your child’s physician might admit the child to the hospital for observation if:
- The seizure lasts a long time.
- The child is under the age of six months.
- There is a significant infection present along with the seizure.
- The origin of the infection cannot be determined.
But simple febrile seizures rarely call for a hospital stay.
