Febrile seizures
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 mayalsovomit and foam at the mouth, and their eyes may roll back.
After the seizure, your child may be sleepy for up to an hour afterwards. A straightforward febrile seizure like this will onlyhappen once during your child's illness.
Occasionally, febrile seizurescan last longer than 15 minutes and symptoms may only affect one area of your child's body.
These are known as complex febrile seizures. The seizure sometimes happens again within 24 hours or during the period in which your child is ill.
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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