Febrile Convulsions
Complications of febrile seizures
Source: NHS
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Febrile seizures have been linked to an increased risk of epilepsy , as well as other problems.
Recent research findings may indicate a link between febrile seizures and sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC), possibly because of the connection between febrile seizures and epilepsy.
But this link hasn't been proven and SUDC is incredibly rare, affecting around1 in 100,000 childrenequivalent to a 0.001% chance.
One of the biggest studies of its kind looked at more than 1.5 million children with a history of febrile seizures and found no evidence of an increased risk of death in later childhood or adulthood.
Febrile seizures and epilepsy
Many parents worry that if their child has one or more febrile seizures, they'll develop epilepsy when they get older. Epilepsy is a condition where a person has repeated seizures without fever.
While it's true that children who have a history of febrile seizures have an increased risk of developing epilepsy, it should be stressed that the risk is still small.
It's estimated children with a history of simple febrile seizures have a1 in 50 chance of developing epilepsy in later life.
Children with a history of complex febrile seizures have a1 in 20 chance of developing epilepsy in later life.
People who haven't had febrile seizures have around a1 in 100 chance.
