What are febrile fits?
A febrile seizure is a convulsion in a child that’s caused by a fever. The fever is often from an infection. Febrile seizures occur in young, healthy children who have normal development and haven’t had any neurological symptoms before. It can be frightening when your child has a febrile seizure.
What are the 3 signs and symptoms of a febrile convulsion?
Symptoms of febrile convulsions
- loss of consciousness (black out)
- twitching or jerking of arms and legs.
- breathing difficulty.
- foaming at the mouth.
- going pale or bluish in skin colour.
- eye rolling, so only the whites of their eyes are visible.
- your child may take 10 to 15 minutes to wake up properly afterwards.
How do you treat febrile fits?
Treatment
- Place your child on his or her side on a soft, flat surface where he or she won’t fall.
- Start timing the seizure.
- Stay close to watch and comfort your child.
- Remove hard or sharp objects near your child.
- Loosen tight or restrictive clothing.
- Don’t restrain your child or interfere with your child’s movements.
What is the pathophysiology of a febrile seizure?
The exact pathophysiology of febrile seizures is unknown. However, it is assumed that a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental factors- the fever and its cause- trigger the event.
How do you prevent febrile seizures?
Giving the child diazepam (Valium) when illness or fever begins can reduce the risk of having another febrile seizure. However, to prevent one febrile seizure in this way, 14 other children who were never destined to have another febrile seizure will receive the medicine needlessly!
What fever is too high?
High fevers are 103 degrees or above. A potentially dangerous fever begins when your temperature is at least 104 degrees. If you have a fever that is 105 degrees or higher, you need immediate medical attention.
What is the difference between seizure and convulsion?
A convulsion is a general term that people use to describe uncontrollable muscle contractions. Some people may use it interchangeably with the word “seizure,” although a seizure refers to an electrical disturbance in the brain. Seizures may cause a person to have convulsions, but this is not always the case.
What is the most effective drug of choice for treating an infant with febrile seizures?
For patients who have an ongoing seizure at the time of assessment (i.e., febrile status epilepticus), intravenous diazepam (0.2 to 0.5 mg per kg of weight intravenously every 15 minutes for a cumulative dosage of 5 mg in children one month to five years of age) often is effective.
At what age do febrile seizures stop?
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.
What are the complications of febrile seizure?
What are the Complications of Febrile Seizures? Febrile seizures do not result in serious complications, including mental retardation, a decrease in IQ, cerebral palsy, neurological damage, epilepsy or learning difficulties. Thus the simple febrile seizure has no long or short term effect.
What are the treatment options for febrile illness?
The cause of the febrile illness should be sought and treated. Antipyretics should be considered. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Motrin) are often used. A randomized controlled trial published in 2018 suggested that rectal acetaminophen 10 mg/kg given every 6 hours may prevent febrile seizure recurrence within the same febrile episode.
What is febrile status epilepticus?
Febrile status epilepticus, a severe type of complex febrile seizure, is defined as single seizure or series of seizures without interim recovery lasting at least 30 minutes. Viral illnesses are the predominant cause of febrile seizures.
Which medications are used in the treatment of febrile status epilepticus (SE)?
Patients with febrile status epilepticus are at greater risk for subsequent febrile status epilepticus. Many practitioners have prescribed rectal diazepam for patients with febrile seizures, particularly those with febrile seizures lasting more than 5 minutes.
What is a simple febrile seizure?
Simple febrile seizure The setting is fever in a child aged 6 months to 5 years The single seizure is generalized and lasts less than 15 minutes The child is otherwise neurologically healthy and without neurologic abnormality by examination or by developmental history