A child that has had a febrile seizure will usually act sleepy or confused after the febrile seizure and they may lose consciousness or sometimes shake or move but not noticeably.
The #1 cause of febrile seizures is a higher than normal body temperature or really high fever.
However even a low grade fever can cause a febrile seizure.
Febrile seizures are seizures or convulsions which occur in young children.
The febrile seizures are triggered by fever typically above 101 degrees Fahrenheit (38.3 degrees Celsius).
Seizures can happen during illnesses such as a cold, the flu, or an ear infection.
A febrile seizure most commonly occurs on the first day of a fever.
The febrile seizure may last a few minutes and is usually harmless.
Symptoms of a febrile seizure may include staring, severe shaking, or tightening of the muscles.
A child may lose consciousness with a febrile seizure as well.
Children who have a febrile seizure should be evaluated if it's their first seizure.
Emergency medical care is needed for repeated febrile seizures or those lasting over 10 minutes.
Medications to treat fever and persistent seizures may be used in children with a febrile seizure.
The good news is that most children will outgrow febrile seizures by age 5.
Few children have more than 3 febrile seizures in their lifetime and the number of febrile seizures is not related to future risk for epilepsy.
Children who would develop epilepsy anyway will sometimes have their first seizures during fevers.
The red flag signs of febrile seizures include if a child presents with complex Febrile Seizures, meningeal signs like Kernig's and Brudzinski's signs are positive, neck stiffness is present, and anterior fontanelle is bulging.
In the acute phase, treatment focuses on determining the underlying cause of the fever and treating its symptoms.
Children with febrile seizures may not have a seizure each time they're sick.
Many children get fevers when they're sick.
Medicines like acetaminophen (Children's Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Children's Motrin or Advil) can help with fevers.
These fever-reducing medicines may not prevent a seizure.