A febrile seizure is a convulsion that occurs in some children with a high temperature (fever). The vast majority of febrile seizures are not serious. Most occur with common illnesses such as ear infections and colds. Serious infections such as pneumonia, meningitis, etc, are less common causes. Full recovery with no
permanent damage is usual. The main treatment is aimed at the illness that caused the fever.

What causes a febrile seizure
and who has them?

A febrile seizure is sometimes called a febrile convulsion. Any illness that causes a fever (high temperature) can cause a febrile seizure. Most occur with common illnesses such as ear infections, coughs, colds, flu and other viral infections. Serious infections such as pneumonia,
kidney infections, meningitis, etc, are less common causes.
About 3 in 100 children have a febrile seizure sometime before their sixth birthday. They most commonly occur between the ages of 18 months and three years. They are rare in children
aged under six months and over the age of six years.

What does a febrile seizure
look like?

Febrile seizures are classified into three types:

Simple febrile seizure: the most common type - occurs in about 15 in 20 cases. The child may look hot and flushed and their eyes may appear to roll backwards.
They may appear dazed and then become unconscious. The body may go stiff, then generally twitch or shake (convulse). It does not usually last long. It may only be
a few seconds and is unusual for it to last more than five minutes. The child may be sleepy for some minutes afterwards but within an hour or so the child will usually appear a lot better when their
temperature has come down. Another feature of a simple febrile seizure is that it does not recur within 24 hours or within the same febrile illness.

Complex febrile seizure - occurs in about 4 in 20 cases. This is similar to a simple febrile seizure but has one or more of the following
features:
The seizure lasts more than 15 minutes and/or ...
The seizure recurs within 24 hours or within the same febrile illness and/or ...
The child is not fully recovered within one hour. This does not mean the seizure lasts more than an hour but that it takes more than an hour for the child to look and behave more like their normal self and/or ...
The seizure has partial or focal
features. This means that rather than a generalised twitch or shaking, only a part of the body may shake. For example, just one arm or just one leg.

Febrile status epilepticus - occurs in less than 1 in 20 cases
This means the febrile seizure lasts for longer than 30 minutes.

What first aid should I do for
a febrile seizure?

-Note the time it started.
-Lie the child on their side with their head in line with the body or slightly lower (the recovery position).
-Do not put anything into their mouth or shake the child.
-When the seizure stops, try to lower the child's temperature to make them more comfortable. To do this, take off their clothes (if the room is warm).
-When the child has recovered enough to swallow, give a drink and some paracetamol or ibuprofen. In the past, common advice thought to help cooling was to sponge with lukewarm
water but this is no longer thought to help so is not recommended.
-Stay with the child at night.

What should happen after
immediate first aid?

Call an ambulance if a seizure lasts more than five minutes (this includes small twitching movements, even if large jerking
movements have stopped).
You should also contact a doctor urgently or ring for an ambulance if:
-The child does not improve quickly once a short seizure is over.
-Another seizure starts soon after the first one stops.
-The child has difficulty breathing.
-The child was not fully conscious
before the seizure or one hour
afterwards.
You suspect a serious illness is the
cause of the fever. For example, if you suspect pneumonia or meningitis.

No treatment is usually needed for the seizure itself if it stops within a few minutes. (However, treatment may be needed for the infection causing the fever.)
In all cases, the child should be seen by a doctor as soon as possible after a seizure
for a check over to rule out serious
illness.
Sometimes the seizure lasts longer and a doctor may give a medicine to stop it. For
example, a doctor may put a medicine called diazepam into the rectum (back passage) or a medicine called midazolam
into the side of the mouth. These
medicines are absorbed quickly, directly into the bloodstream, from within the rectum or mouth, and stop a seizure.
Sometimes the parents of children who are prone to recurrent febrile seizures are taught how to use one of these medicines. They are then given a supply to have in case a further febrile seizure occurs.

Is a febrile seizure
dangerous?

Although alarming, a febrile seizure in itself is not usually dangerous. Full recovery is usual. Most illnesses which cause fever and febrile convulsions are
the common coughs, colds and viral infections which are not usually serious.
However, the illness that causes the fever is sometimes serious - for example, pneumonia or meningitis.

Can febrile seizures be
prevented?

It may seem logical that if you keep a child's temperature down during a feverish illness it may prevent a febrile seizure. However, there is little scientific evidence to prove that this is so. (It is unclear what triggers the seizure. It is
possibly some body chemical that is released during certain feverish illnesses rather than the temperature itself. Most children with a high temperature do not
have a seizure.) However, it is common practice to keep a child cool when they have a feverish illness. This will make them feel more comfortable. Therefore, if
a child appears hot and distressed then the following will help:

-Keep the child very lightly dressed, or take all their clothes off if the room is warm.
-Give paracetamol (for example,
Calpol®, Disprol®, etc) or ibuprofen.
-Give lots of cool drinks.

Source: www.patient.co.uk/health/febrile-seizure-febrile-convulsion

papindinho: Is a febrile seizure
dangerous?

Although alarming, a febrile seizure in itself is not usually dangerous. Full recovery is usual. Most illnesses which cause fever and febrile convulsions are
the common coughs, colds and viral infections which are not usually serious.
However, the illness that causes the fever is sometimes serious - for example, pneumonia or meningitis.

Can febrile seizures be
prevented?

It may seem logical that if you keep a child's temperature down during a feverish illness it may prevent a febrile seizure. However, there is little scientific evidence to prove that this is so. (It is unclear what triggers the seizure. It is
possibly some body chemical that is released during certain feverish illnesses rather than the temperature itself. Most children with a high temperature do not
have a seizure.) However, it is common practice to keep a child cool when they have a feverish illness. This will make them feel more comfortable. Therefore, if
a child appears hot and distressed then the following will help:

-Keep the child very lightly dressed, or take all their clothes off if the room is warm.
-Give paracetamol (for example,
Calpol®, Disprol®, etc) or ibuprofen.
-Give lots of cool drinks.

Source: www.patient.co.uk/health/febrile-seizure-febrile-convulsion

Thank you.

Very informative!

ziga:

Thank you.

Very informative!

you're welcome sire.

I just noticed that no thread was opened for this and it's a rampant illness among the kids. I witnessed one yesterday and could do nothing than try to create awareness about it by searching for a detailed explanation about it.

Thanks OP. Bless you!

masties2:
Thanks OP. Bless you!

you too