Febrile Seizures
Child Febrile Seizures Convulsion Treatment in Jaipur Rajasthan
What Are Febrile Seizures?
Febrile seizures are seizures/convulsions that can happen when a young child has a fever, usually above 100.4°F (38°C). The fever may continue for some time. Many children get a seizure during the rise of temperature, so the fever may not be noted till after the seizure.
The seizures usually last for a few minutes and stop on their own, but can be longer. Some kids might feel sleepy after the seizure, while others feel no effects.
Who will get Febrile Seizures?
Febrile seizures happen in kids aged 6 months to 5 years old.
Children are more likely to have a febrile seizure if:
- They have a family history of febrile seizures
- They’ve already had a febrile seizure
- They had a first febrile seizure when they were younger than 15 months old
Febrile seizures are not considered epilepsy.
What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Febrile Seizures?
Febrile seizures usually last for a few minutes, but may last longer. During the seizure or fit, child’s body may convulse, shake or twitch. He/she may roll his/her eyes, pee or vomit, drool or can pass out. Usually only one seizure occurs, although fever of infection may continue for a few more days. Rarely the seizures may occur only on one side of the body or can occur again within 24 hours.
What Causes Febrile Seizures?
We don’t know for certain why febrile seizures happen. They may be linked to some viruses and the way that a child’s developing brain reacts to high fevers. Although, there is a higher chance of having febrile seizures if other siblings/ family members have them.
Do’s and Dont’s if your child has a Febrile seizure
If your child has a febrile seizure, stay calm and:
- Gently place your child on the floor or the bed.
- Place your child on his or her side to prevent choking.
- Remove any nearby objects.
- Loosen any clothing around the head and neck.
- Watch for signs of breathing problems, including bluish colour in the face.
- Try to keep track of how long the seizure lasts.
- If the seizure lasts more than 5 minutes, or your child turns blue, it may be a more serious type of seizure: Take the child to the hospital immediately
- If the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes and you have Midazolam Nasal Spray available: give the spray via nose according to the dose prescribed by your doctor.
Dont’s
- Do not put anything in your child’s mouth.
- Do not try to hold or restrain your child.
- Do not try to make the child drink water/give any medicine
- Do not sprinkle water on the face
- Do not use onions, slippers, knives etc.
When the seizure is over, visit your doctor to find the cause of the fever.
The doctor may recommend the standard treatment for fevers, which is acetaminophen (paracetamol) or ibuprofen. These medications bring down the fever, but do not prevent febrile seizures.
Does My Child Need to be Admitted to the Hospital?
In most cases, children with febrile seizures do not additional tests or hospital admission. However, tests may be needed to find the cause of fever.
In some situations, the doctor may recommend observation, additional tests or admission.
- If the child has a prolonged febrile seizure
- The seizure involves only one side of the body
- Child has a second seizure within 24 hours
- Child has trouble breathing or turns blue
- The child isn’t responding normally or remains drowsy after the seizure stops
- Unvaccinated or high-risk children
Does My Child Need Medication for febrile seizures?
As parents, Febrile seizures can be scary to see. But they’re fairly common and not usually a symptom of serious illness. Febrile seizures can look serious, but don’t cause other health problems. In most cases, no regular medication is started for febrile seizures. In some cases, your doctor may advise intermittent prophylactic medicine such as clobazam.
Midazolam Nasal Spray can be an effective medication to stop a long seizure. If your child has already had a febrile seizure, keep this medicine with you. All the caretakers involved in care of the child should be aware of what to do in case of a seizure and know, how to administer midazolam spray.
Will these seizures cause long-term problems for my Child?
Febrile seizures can look serious, but don’t cause other health problems. They are not considered to be epilepsy, and most children will outgrow them with age. They do not cause brain damage, learning problems or impact on school achievement.
With very long seizures, there is immediate risk to the child as well as some concern of long term problems. Therefore, prolonged seizures should be treated promptly. Most children with febrile seizures, however, do not develop any problems.