These are usually harmless and occur most often from 6 months to 4 years, although they may occur up to 5 or 6 years of age. 

There is often a family member who had febrile seizures as a child. They occur in about 3 to 5 % of the population. Typically, the seizure occurs when the fever is rapidly increasing. They are typically brief, lasting only 3-5 minutes. 

They may occur with any type of infection that causes a fever. Any first febrile seizure should be evaluated by the doctor. The possibility of meningitis needs to be ruled out. Because a child has a history of febrile seizures does not mean they will go on to have epilepsy as an adult. 

The treatment is based on controlling fever with acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Some children with complicated or frequent febrile seizures need prescription anti-seizure medicines. Febrile seizures generally do not cause brain damage unless they last for a long time (more than 5 0r 10 minutes) and the child is not getting enough oxygen.

©1997CallYour Ped.com, Encinitas California
disclaimer