What is a febrile seizure?
A febrile seizure, also known as a fever seizure, is a seizure caused by a fever. They can occur when your child has a fever of 38ºC (100.4ºF) or higher. During a febrile seizure, a child may have shaking or jerking movements of their body, head, arms or legs and may lose consciousness.
Febrile seizures usually last from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. However, they can be as short as a few seconds or last for more than 15 minutes.
How serious is a febrile seizure?
A febrile seizure is not harmful and usually stops by itself. If your child has had a febrile seizure, it does not mean that they will develop epilepsy.
Children at higher risk of developing epilepsy include those who have:
- A family history of epilepsy
- Cerebral palsy
- A history of delayed development
- A neurological condition
- A febrile seizure lasting 30 minutes or more
- A second seizure within 24 hours of the first
What can cause a febrile seizure?
Febrile seizures can happen with any condition that causes a fever. Conditions that can cause a fever include common childhood illnesses such as a cold, the flu, an ear infection, or roseola.
Rarely, children who develop a fever after immunization have a febrile seizure. This is not a reason to discontinue future immunizations.
Who is most likely to have a febrile seizure?
Febrile seizures occur in children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years. About 1 in 25 children will have a febrile seizure during childhood. A child is more likely to have a febrile seizure if a parent, brother or sister has had one. About 1 in 3 children who have a febrile seizure will have another one. The older the child is when they have a febrile seizure the less likely they are to have another.
Can febrile seizures be prevented?
Febrile seizures cannot usually be prevented. Fever can be reduced by medications such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen but this has not been shown to prevent febrile seizures. Oral medication must not be given to a child during a seizure to avoid the risk of choking.
