Questions and answers about febrile seizures!

Q. What is a febrile seizure?

A. A febrile seizure is a seizure provoked by a high body temperature.

Q. Why does one occur?

A. Some individuals are predisposed to have them. It's thought that different combinations of genetic factors contribute to the predisposition, which often runs in families.
It's not uncommon for a sibling, parent or cousin to also have febrile seizures or epilepsy.

Q. How common is the condition?

A. Febrile seizures occur in 2 to 5 percent of children in the United States.

Q. Who is at risk?

A. Febrile seizures occur in otherwise healthy children, usually between 3 months and 5 years of age.

Q. What do signs and symptoms include?

A. Most febrile seizures are generalized tonic-clonic seizures, also known as grand mal seizures. A generalized tonic-clonic seizure is a seizure involving the entire body, usually characterized by rigid muscles, muscle contractions and loss of consciousness.
Occasionally the seizures can involve certain parts of the body instead of the entire body, then they are called focal seizures. When the febrile seizure is focal, or if the generalized seizure lasts longer than 15 minutes, the person has a higher risk of developing epilepsy, or unprovoked seizures, later in life.

Q. How long does one last?

A. Generally less than 10 minutes.

Q. When should a child be taken to the doctor?

A. A first seizure requires an emergency-room evaluation, regardless of age or condition. After a person has been evaluated, the doctor will give recommendations regarding when the child needs medical attention or when the child can be cared for at home.

Q. How is a febrile seizure diagnosed?

A. Febrile seizures are diagnosed by recognizing the seizure happening in a person of the correct age group, who usually is ill with a fever, with a sore throat or ear infection and who does not have a brain infection like meningitis or encephalitis.

Q. What treatment options are available?

A. Currently, treatment is aimed at reducing the fever rapidly with acetaminophen and cool-water sponge baths.
Since only half the children with febrile seizures will have a second febrile seizure, daily preventative treatment is not recommended.

Q. Can febrile seizures cause brain damage, mental retardation or learning disabilities?

A. Prolonged febrile seizures, ones that last longer than 20 minutes, can but do not always lead to brain injury. Long febrile seizures do lead to a greater likelihood of developing epilepsy.

Q. How are febrile seizures and epilepsy related?

A. Febrile seizures are the most common type of provoked seizures.
The febrile seizure occurs as a reaction to the fever. Epilepsy is a general term indicating the recurrence of seizures without provoking factors. Epilepsy is very common; about one of every 125 people have epilepsy.
There are many different types of seizures and causes for recurring seizures.

Q. Are febrile seizures hereditary?

A. Febrile seizures tend to run in families. It's thought that different combinations of genetic factors contribute to the predisposition for febrile seizures.