Your Childrens Health

Febrile seizures can be frightening for parents.  The condition shows up in 2 to 4 percent of children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years old.  They are not usually the sign of a ongoing problem and won’t mean long term damage for your child.

Often times febrile seizures are the result of a sudden change in body temperature.  The culprit may be an infection that the parents aren’t even aware of until the seizure hits.  Most febrile seizures develop very quickly from the sudden rise in body temperature but can also result from body temperature dropping.

A child having a seizure may have a high fever (normally over 102 F) and shake his or her arms and legs.  They may lose consciousness during a febrile seizure and roll his or her eyes back in the head.  Other symptoms include trouble breathing, crying or moaning.

There are two different classifications of febrile seizures.  The simple febrile seizures are most common and can last anywhere from a few seconds to 15 minutes.  These type stop on their own.  Complex febrile seizures last longer than 15 minutes and may be limited to one side of your child’s body.

If your child experiences a febrile seizure, have them evaluated by your doctor as soon as possible.  Even if the seizure only lasts a few second, contact the doctor as soon as it is through with and schedule an appointment.

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This entry was posted on Monday, April 3rd, 2006 at 9:32 pm and is filed under Uncategorized, High Fever, Medical Care, Adolescence, Growing Pains. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.