Febrile seizures
Complications of febrile seizures
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.
Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018
Introduction
Read about febrile seizures, where a young child with a fever has a fit. Febrile seizures are relatively common and, in most cases, aren't serious.
Signs of a febrile seizure
A febrile seizure usually lasts for less than five minutes. Your child will: become stiff and their arms and legs may begin to twitch lose consciousness and may wet or soil themselves They ma
What to do during a febrile seizure
If your child is having a febrile seizure, place them in the recovery position . Stay withyour childand try to make a note of how long the seizure lasts. Don't put anything into your child's mouth du
Seeing a doctor
Febrile seizures canoften be diagnosed from a description of what happened.It's unlikely thata doctorwill see the seizure,so it's useful to note: how long the seizure lasted what happened such as b
Causes of febrile seizures
The cause of febrile seizures is unknown, although they're linked to the start of a fever, a high temperature of 38C (100.4F) or above. There may also be a genetic link to febrile seizuresthe chances
Recurring febrile seizures
About a third of children who have had a febrile seizure will have another one during a subsequent infection. This often happens within a year of the first one. Recurrence is more likely if: the fi
Complications of febrile seizures
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 c
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