What Are Febrile Seizures?
Febrile seizures can be terrifying for the new parent or caregiver of any small child. You want so desperately to understand and know what's going on. A frightening trip to the ER in the middle of the night might leave you feeling embarrassed at the minor issues the doctor tells you are going on. You may be wondering, just what is a febrile seizure anyway? When I worked as a paramedic many parents wondered this and I'd like to take a minute to explain this phenomenon. I'm not a doctor and I don't intend to play one on the internet so if you feel uncomfortable or unsure err on the side of caution and seek medical advice from a trained healthcare provider. This article is for educational and entertainment purposes only.
Febrile seizures occur most commonly in small children between infancy and pre-school ages. They usually occur in the case of illness, infection, or teething if a fever becomes high enough. Febrile seizures look very similar to a traditional seizure to most people and they can be scary. They are usually harmless though and can be taken care of very easily in most cases by lowering your child's fever.
Febrile seizures happen when your child is running a fever so the goal is to lower your child's fever and keep them hydrated. Giving your child a child appropriate fever reducer or a fever reducer recommended by your doctor can help. Lowering the temperature in your child's environment and taking off excess clothing may be helpful as well. Take your child's clothing off, leaving on underwear or a diaper and cover them with a sheet or a light blanket. If your child starts to shiver cover them with another light layer, shivering is counterproductive here because shivering is designed by nature to raise the body temperature. You will also want to use cool packs in your child's groin, armpits and sponge them off with a cool washcloth as well if they can tolerate it. Again if your child begins to shiver handle this accordingly. Seizures usually stop when the temperature returns to a more normal level. While your child is having a seizure watch for signs of distress, stay close by but don't restrict your child's movements, and never place anything in their mouth during a seizure. Lay your child on a safe, flat surface on his or her left side and remove any sharp objects and remove restrictive clothing or blankets until the seizure is over.
Febrile seizures are not indicative of the presence of other seizure disorders in children nor do they lead to the development of other seizure disorders. That doesn't mean that a child will never have any other kind of seizure, it's just that febrile seizures are an isolated thing resulting directly from a fever due to illness in most cases.
A child who is experiencing febrile seizures should see a family doctor or pediatrician as soon as possible to determine the cause of illness and get the appropriate treatment to solve this underlying cause. Ear infections, UTIs, and respiratory illnesses are common causes of fever in small children which can all be treated fairly easily with an antibiotic or other traditional treatments in most cases.
If your child is having trouble breathing, looks blue around the lips or fingernails have a blue color to them seek emergency treatment. If your child has a temperature over 104 degrees and your pediatrician's office is closed you should also seek emergency treatment. A child with a stiff neck and inconsolable crying or extreme tiredness along with fever should be seen and evaluated immediately to rule out meningitis. If your child is having extreme difficulty swallowing or drooling excessively they should also be seen to rule out epiglottitis. All wounds that will not heal, have red streaking up a limb and are very warm, or that are oozing pus or have a foul smell should be evaluated by a health care provider as well. If your child has a febrile seizure for more than 15 minutes or febrile seizures reoccur within 24 hours time they should be evaluated.
As I said before, you know your own child best and if you feel uncomfortable call your doctor or head to the ER anytime you need to. This article is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease and should not take the place of advice from a trained medical professional.
As always have a great day and we'll see you next time!
What is a febrile seizure?
Febrile seizures occur most commonly in small children between infancy and pre-school ages. They usually occur in the case of illness, infection, or teething if a fever becomes high enough. Febrile seizures look very similar to a traditional seizure to most people and they can be scary. They are usually harmless though and can be taken care of very easily in most cases by lowering your child's fever.
What do I do about a febrile seizure?
Febrile seizures happen when your child is running a fever so the goal is to lower your child's fever and keep them hydrated. Giving your child a child appropriate fever reducer or a fever reducer recommended by your doctor can help. Lowering the temperature in your child's environment and taking off excess clothing may be helpful as well. Take your child's clothing off, leaving on underwear or a diaper and cover them with a sheet or a light blanket. If your child starts to shiver cover them with another light layer, shivering is counterproductive here because shivering is designed by nature to raise the body temperature. You will also want to use cool packs in your child's groin, armpits and sponge them off with a cool washcloth as well if they can tolerate it. Again if your child begins to shiver handle this accordingly. Seizures usually stop when the temperature returns to a more normal level. While your child is having a seizure watch for signs of distress, stay close by but don't restrict your child's movements, and never place anything in their mouth during a seizure. Lay your child on a safe, flat surface on his or her left side and remove any sharp objects and remove restrictive clothing or blankets until the seizure is over.
Will febrile seizures lead to other seizure disorders or do they indicate the presence of other seizure disorders?
Febrile seizures are not indicative of the presence of other seizure disorders in children nor do they lead to the development of other seizure disorders. That doesn't mean that a child will never have any other kind of seizure, it's just that febrile seizures are an isolated thing resulting directly from a fever due to illness in most cases.
When should I call my doctor or go to the ER?
A child who is experiencing febrile seizures should see a family doctor or pediatrician as soon as possible to determine the cause of illness and get the appropriate treatment to solve this underlying cause. Ear infections, UTIs, and respiratory illnesses are common causes of fever in small children which can all be treated fairly easily with an antibiotic or other traditional treatments in most cases.
If your child is having trouble breathing, looks blue around the lips or fingernails have a blue color to them seek emergency treatment. If your child has a temperature over 104 degrees and your pediatrician's office is closed you should also seek emergency treatment. A child with a stiff neck and inconsolable crying or extreme tiredness along with fever should be seen and evaluated immediately to rule out meningitis. If your child is having extreme difficulty swallowing or drooling excessively they should also be seen to rule out epiglottitis. All wounds that will not heal, have red streaking up a limb and are very warm, or that are oozing pus or have a foul smell should be evaluated by a health care provider as well. If your child has a febrile seizure for more than 15 minutes or febrile seizures reoccur within 24 hours time they should be evaluated.
As I said before, you know your own child best and if you feel uncomfortable call your doctor or head to the ER anytime you need to. This article is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease and should not take the place of advice from a trained medical professional.
As always have a great day and we'll see you next time!
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