Understanding Febrile Seizures: Causes, Symptoms, and Management

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Febrile Seizures

by Alike Medical Team ∙ Updated on June 13, 2023

General

Febrile Seizures are convulsions that occur during a child’s period of fever. They occur in healthy children between the ages 6 months to 3 years with normal development. These children do not have any neurological problems, and usually do not indicate there is something wrong. Typically, febrile seizures occur when there is a rapid change in temperature, usually higher 39 degrees, following a viral or bacterial infection. C. There are two types of febrile seizures. Simple febrile seizures, which are more common, last from a few seconds to 15 minutes. They do not recur within a 24-hour period and are not specific to a body part. The second type are complex febrile seizures which last longer than 15 minutes, recur more than once within 24 hours and are confined to one side of the body. Family history of febrile seizures is a risk factor. Febrile seizures do not indicate epilepsy.

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Signs & symptoms

Febrile seizure symptoms include loss of consciousness, may wet or soil themselves, shakes, stiffness or jerking of the arms and legs, fever higher than 38.0 C.

Diagnosis

First simple febrile seizure in healthy children,does not require any testing. In children with a delayed vaccination schedule or a compromised immune system, it may be recommended to perform a blood test, a urine test and a lumbar puncture to look for severe infections. In complex febrile seizure, it is recommended to perform an electroencephalogram (EEG), a test that measures brain activity. Sometimes MRI can also be done to search for abnormalities if the child has an unusual large head, abnormal neurological examination, signs of increased intracranial pressure, or an unusually long seizure.

Treatment

Usually, there is no need to treat febrile seizures but it is recommended to place the child’s head on a soft, flat surface and remove sharp objects. Also, it is important to time the seizure and not to insert anything to the child's mouth. If the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes, the seizures recur or the child isn’t improving after the seizure, it is important to call for an emergency medical reaction.

Note

☝ We provide information on prescription and over-the-counter medicines, diagnosis, procedures and lab tests. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

National Institutes of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ MedlinePluse ∙ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

☝ All information has been reviewed by certified physicians from Alike

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