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OVERVIEW

What is a febrile seizure?

Seizures can sometimes occur when a child has a fever.   These are called “fever seizures” or “febrile seizures.” Febrile seizures can occur in children ages 6 months to 5 years but are most common in toddlers ages 12 months to 18 months.

Febrile seizures are frightening, but they aren’t as dangerous as they may appear. A febrile seizure doesn’t cause brain damage. Also, your child can’t swallow their tongue during a seizure (it is physically impossible for someone to swallow their tongue).

Febrile seizures usually last a few minutes. It’s very unusual for a febrile seizure to last more than 5 minutes. Your child may need to be seen by a healthcare provider so the cause of the fever can be found.

SYMPTOMS

If your child has a febrile seizure, they may become unconscious and roll their eyes back. Your child’s arms and legs may become stiff or shake and twitch. Your child may also vomit. After a seizure, your child may feel drowsy and confused.

CAUSES

Febrile seizures are triggered by fever caused by an infection. Your child is more likely to spike a high fever from a viral infection than a bacterial infection. Examples of viral infections are the flu, common cold, and roseola.

If my child has a febrile seizure, does this mean that my child has epilepsy?

No. A single seizure does not mean your child has epilepsy. Even repeated febrile seizures aren’t considered epilepsy, because children outgrow the risk of having a seizure caused by fever. A child who has epilepsy usually has 2 or more seizures that aren’t caused by fever.

Febrile seizures don’t cause epilepsy. But the chance of epilepsy developing in a child who has had several febrile seizures is slightly higher than if they didn’t have a febrile seizure. The chance of epilepsy developing in a child who has had a febrile seizure is less than 5%. There is no evidence that treating your child with medicine for febrile seizures will prevent epilepsy.

PREVENTION

Can febrile seizures be prevented or avoided?

Maybe, but many healthcare providers believe the risk of side effects from seizure medicines are worse than the child having another febrile seizure. Even the medicine may not prevent another seizure.

TREATMENT

What should I do if my child has a seizure?

• Put your child on their side so that they won’t choke on saliva or vomit.
• Don’t put anything in your child’s mouth.
• Don’t restrain your child’s movements during the seizure.
• Try to remain calm. Most seizures stop on their own within a few minutes, so keep your eyes on a clock or watch.
• Call 911 if the seizure lasts more than 5 minutes, if your baby is under 6 months old, or it is accompanied by a stiff neck, vomiting or breathing problems.
• Don’t try to lower your child’s fever by placing them in a cold bath, especially during a seizure.

Living with febrile seizures Once your child has had a febrile seizure, there is a 1 in 3 chance that they will have another febrile seizure. Your child will usually outgrow them by age 5. But the risk of another febrile seizure is slightly higher if:

• your child is younger than 18 months,
• there’s a family history of febrile seizures
• the fever wasn’t very high when the seizure occurred.