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- However, simple febrile seizures are harmless. There is no evidence that they cause death, brain damage, epilepsy, or learning problems.
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initial febrile seizures occur in children under the age of three. 5% of initial febrile seizures occur before the age of six months, and 5% occur after the age of six. Risk of future febrile seizure: After the first febrile seizure, 33- 50% of patients will have a . second, and 10% will have 3 febrile seizures (low evidence level).
Seizures that occur during a fever; a common condition, affecting 2-5% of children aged 3 months to five years; majority are simple febrile seizures (generally defined as generalized onset, single seizures with a duration of less than 30 minutes); complex febrile seizures are characterized by focal onset, duration greater than 30 minutes, and ...
Apr 1, 2019 · Children with complex febrile seizures were more likely to die in the following two years when compared with children without febrile seizures (adjusted mortality rate ratio = 1.99),...
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Usually, a child having a febrile seizure shakes all over and loses consciousness. Sometimes, the child may get very stiff or twitch in just one area of the body.
A child having a febrile seizure may:
•Have a fever higher than 100.4 F (38.0 C)
•Lose consciousness
•Shake or jerk the arms and legs
Febrile seizures are classified as simple or complex:
See your child's doctor as soon as possible after your child's first febrile seizure, even if it lasts only a few seconds. Call an ambulance to take your child to the emergency room if the seizure lasts longer than five minutes or is accompanied by:
•Vomiting
•A stiff neck
•Breathing problems
•Extreme sleepiness
Request an appointment
Infection
The fevers that trigger febrile seizures are usually caused by a viral infection, and less commonly by a bacterial infection. The flu (influenza) virus and the virus that causes roseola, which often are accompanied by high fevers, appear to be most frequently associated with febrile seizures.
Post-vaccination seizures
The risk of febrile seizures may increase after some childhood vaccinations. These include the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine and the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. A child can develop a low-grade fever after a vaccination. The fever, not the vaccine, causes the seizure.
Factors that increase the risk of having a febrile seizure include:
•Young age. Most febrile seizures occur in children between 6 months and 5 years of age, with the greatest risk between 12 and 18 months of age.
Most febrile seizures produce no lasting effects. Simple febrile seizures don't cause brain damage, intellectual disability or learning disabilities, and they don't mean your child has a more serious underlying disorder.
Febrile seizures are provoked seizures and don't indicate epilepsy. Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures caused by abnormal electrical signals in the brain.
Giving your child medications
Giving your child infants' or children's acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) at the beginning of a fever may make your child more comfortable, but it won't prevent a seizure. Use caution when giving aspirin to children or teenagers. Though aspirin is approved for use in children older than age 3, children and teenagers recovering from chickenpox or flu-like symptoms should never take aspirin. This is because aspirin has been linked to Reye's syndrome, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, in such children.
Prescription prevention medications
Rarely, prescription anticonvulsant medications are used to try to prevent febrile seizures. However, these medications can have serious side effects that may outweigh any possible benefit. Rectal diazepam (Diastat) or nasal midazolam might be prescribed to be used as needed for children who are prone to long febrile seizures. These medications are typically used to treat seizures that last longer than five minutes or if the child has more than one seizure within 24 hours. They are not typically used to prevent febrile seizures. Request an appointment By Mayo Clinic Staff Mar 03, 2023 1.Febrile seizures fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Febrile-Seizures-Fact-Sheet. Accessed Jan. 12, 2021. 2.Millichap JG, et al. Clinical features and evaluation of febrile seizures. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Jan. 12, 2021. 3.Millichap JG, et al. Treatment and prognosis of febrile seizures. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Jan. 12, 2021. 4.AskMayoExpert. Febrile seizure (child). Mayo Clinic. 2019. 5.Subcommittee on Febrile Seizures. Febrile seizures: Guideline for the neurodiagnostic evaluation of the child with a simple febrile seizure. American Academy of Pediatrics. 2011; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2010-3318. 6.Wong-Kisiel LC (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. Jan. 13, 2021. Diagnosis & treatment 1.Diseases & Conditions 2.Febrile seizure symptoms & causes
Learn about febrile seizures in children, including the signs and symptoms as well as what to do if your child experiences a febrile seizure.
Nov 30, 2021 · For children under 5, a high fever can trigger a seizure. Find out how to identify a seizure and keep your child safe.
Febrile seizures are diagnosed in children 6 months to 5 years of age who have fever > 38 ° C that is not caused by a central nervous system infection and who have had no previous afebrile seizures. Diagnosis is clinical after exclusion of other causes. Treatment of seizures lasting < 5 minutes is supportive.
