Febrile seizures are a common childhood problem.
The word febrile means 'with fever'. A febrile seizure is an epileptic seizure that happens when a child has a fever but febrile seizures are not the same as epilepsy.
People have sometimes called febrile seizures 'fever fits', or 'febrile convulsions'.
Many infections in children cause fevers. Some children are born with genes that make them more likely to have seizures when they have a fever. The fever does not cause the seizure but can trigger one in these children. Children with febrile seizures do not have a seizure with every fever. In fact, most children will only ever have 1 febrile seizure in their lifetime.
Usually, the fever is caused by a viral infection such as a cold. Sometimes, the fever is caused by a bacterial infection, such as pneumonia, a urine infection, an ear infection or occasionally, meningitis. Bacterial infections can be serious.
Take your child to your family doctor after the febrile seizure to find out why they have a fever.
Most febrile seizures stop by themselves.
When your child has the seizure they will become unresponsive. They may become stiff or their arms and legs may start to twitch or jerk. Their eyes may roll back. Often they are floppy afterwards.
The seizure can seem to go on for a long time but they usually only last a minute or two and will stop by themselves.
After the jerking or stiffness stops, your child will usually sleep for a while (up to an hour). Some children appear to be very upset and then become sleepy.
Watching your child have a febrile seizure can be very frightening, especially if it is the first time. Many parents think their child is dying during the seizure. Children do not die during febrile seizures.
Most febrile seizures stop by themselves.
The most important thing to do is to keep your child safe while they are having a seizure.
You should take your child to see a doctor after the seizure finishes. The doctor will check to see what is causing the fever.
Most children are sleepy after a seizure, but if they are hard to rouse, or if you are worried about them for other reasons, see a doctor urgently.
Dial 111 within New Zealand (use the appropriate emergency number in other countries) and ask for urgent medical help if:
A febrile seizure in a healthy child very rarely causes long-term harm. Febrile seizures which last less than an hour do not cause brain damage or death.
Between 10 and 15 in 100 children have more than 1 seizure in the same illness. Once the seizure has finished, take your child to a doctor again.
If your child starts a second seizure before waking from the first one you should dial 111 within New Zealand (use the appropriate emergency number in other countries) for urgent medical help.
About 1 in 3 children who have had 1 febrile seizure will have another one with another fever. This is more likely to happen if there are other people in your family who have had febrile seizures. The risk decreases as your child gets older.
By the age of 6 years, children have usually grown out of febrile seizures.
Febrile seizures are not a form of epilepsy and do not cause epilepsy. The risk of any child developing epilepsy is 1 in 200. The risk is slightly higher (1 in 100) for children who have had a febrile seizure. This is because they have genes which make epilepsy more likely. The chance of a child developing epilepsy is higher again (less than 15 in 100) if:
Most febrile seizures stop by themselves in 1 or 2 minutes. They do not need any treatment.
If the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes, dial 111 within New Zealand (use the appropriate emergency number in other countries) and ask for urgent medical help.
If your child had a febrile seizure that lasted more than 5 minutes, your doctor may give you some medication to use in case a future seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes.
If your child recovers completely from the febrile seizure, and they do not have a serious infection, they do not need to stay in hospital.
There is no way to prevent febrile seizures.
Keeping your child cool when they have a fever will make them feel more comfortable but will not prevent a febrile seizure. The best ways to bring your child's temperature down are by:
If your child is miserable because of the fever, you can give paracetamol to make them more comfortable. You must follow the dosage instructions on the bottle. It is dangerous to give more than the recommended dose. Giving regular paracetamol or ibuprofen will not prevent a febrile seizure.
This page last reviewed 15 March 2021.
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