Febrile Seizures: Understanding Fever-Related Convulsions in Children
Febrile seizures are convulsions triggered by a sudden rise in body temperature, typically in young children between 6 months and 5 years of age. They are the most common type of seizure in children and, although alarming to parents, are usually benign and self-limiting.
What Are Febrile Seizures?
A febrile seizure occurs when a child’s brain temporarily reacts to a rapid increase in body temperature, often caused by infections such as colds, flu, or ear infections. Unlike epilepsy, febrile seizures are not caused by underlying neurological disorders in most cases.
There are two main types:
Simple Febrile Seizures:
Last less than 15 minutes.
Generalized tonic-clonic movements affecting the whole body.
Occur only once in 24 hours.
Complex Febrile Seizures:
Last longer than 15 minutes.
May involve only one part of the body (focal seizure).
Can recur within 24 hours.