When do febrile seizures happen

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. The most common complication is the possibility of more febrile seizures. The risk of recurrence is higher if:.

Most febrile seizures occur in the first few hours of a fever, during the initial rise in body temperature. 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. 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. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview A febrile seizure is a convulsion in a child that's caused by a fever.

Latest on newly diagnosed epilepsy care Advice for the management of epilepsy Error Select a topic. Thanks for Subscribing You will receive the first epilepsy email message in your inbox shortly.

But in a few children, fever can bring on a seizure or a convulsion. These are called febrile FEB rill seizures. Sometimes a seizure is the first sign that a child has a fever. Febrile seizures are common. A few children will have one at some time - usually between the ages of 6 months and 5 years.

Most children outgrow them by age 6. Almost a third of children who have had one seizure will have others. While scary to parents, febrile seizures usually do not last long and do not cause brain damage, learning disabilities or epilepsy.

There is nothing you can do to make the seizure stop. The most important thing is for you to stay calm and protect your child from injury. When the movements stop, your child may be quite groggy and confused. He may complain of a mild headache or be a little cranky or tired for a day or so. He will probably not remember having a seizure. There is no need to change your lifestyle or the way you care for your child.

Treating the fever with medicines may help your child feel more comfortable but it will not prevent a seizure. Make sure that you are using the right strength for the age of your child.

Picture 2. Skip to Content. Urgent Care. In This Section. Conditions We Treat Febrile Seizures. Stay with your child and try to make a note of how long the seizure lasts. Do not put anything into your child's mouth during a seizure — including medicine — as there's a slight chance they might bite their tongue. Take your child to the nearest hospital or call and ask for an ambulance if:. While it's unlikely that there's anything seriously wrong, it's important to get your child checked.

If your child has had febrile seizures before and the seizure lasts for less than 5 minutes, call a GP, use NHS or call for advice. You should also contact a GP or NHS if you think your child is showing signs and symptoms of dehydration a lack of fluid in the body.

Febrile seizures can often be diagnosed from a description of what happened. It's unlikely that a doctor will see the seizure happening, so it's useful to note:. Further tests, such as a blood test or urine test, may be needed if the cause of your child's illness is not clear. It can sometimes be difficult to get a urine sample from young children, so it may have to be done in hospital. Further testing and observation in hospital is also usually recommended if your child's symptoms are unusual or they're having complex febrile seizures, particularly if they're younger than 12 months old.

The cause of febrile seizures is unknown, although they're linked to the start of a high temperature fever. There may also be a genetic link to febrile seizures, as the chances of having a seizure are increased if a close family member has a history of them.

In most cases, the child's high temperature is caused by an infection. Common examples are chickenpox , flu , a middle ear infection or tonsillitis.

About 1 in 3 children who have had a febrile seizure will have another seizure during a subsequent infection. This often happens within a year of the first one. It's not recommended that your child is given a prescription of regular medicines to prevent further febrile seizures.

This is because the adverse side effects associated with many medicines outweigh any risks of the seizures themselves. Research has shown the use of medicines to control high temperatures is not likely to prevent further febrile seizures.