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Febrile Seizures – Why Your Kid Suffers From Febrile Seizure?

Happy Child

When infants and little children are unwell, they frequently develop a fever. The child’s body temperature increasing is usually merely an indication of the body fighting the disease. In many circumstances, it’s something to keep an eye on and carefully monitor, but not to be concerned about.

A fever, on the other hand, can occasionally cause a seizure in children. A febrile seizure is often characterized by convulsions (irregular or uncontrolled movement in the body) induced by aberrant electrical activity in the brain.

This strange behavior is occasionally triggered by a child’s fever. Febrile seizures often occur between the ages of 6 months and 5 years. Seizures often occur on the first day of fever and last three to five minutes. When infants and little children are unwell, they frequently develop a fever.

The child’s body temperature increasing is usually merely an indication of the body fighting the disease. In many circumstances, it’s something to keep an eye on and carefully monitor, but not to be concerned about. A fever, on the other hand, can occasionally cause a seizure in children.

A febrile seizure is often characterized by convulsions (irregular or uncontrolled movement in the body) induced by aberrant electrical activity in the brain. This strange behavior is occasionally triggered by a child’s fever.

Febrile seizures often occur between the ages of 6 months and 5 years. Seizures often occur on the first day of fever and last three to five minutes after a febrile seizure.

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Symptoms of febrile seizures

A child experiencing a febrile seizure usually tremors and loses consciousness. The youngster may become exceedingly rigid or twitch in only one part of the body at times.

A kid experiencing a febrile seizure may: Have a temperature of more than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38.0 C), You’ve lost consciousness. Shake your arms and legs, or jerk them.

Violent cyclic muscular contractions and relaxations, often last one to two minutes. Biting of the tongue or cheek, Clenching of the teeth or clenching of the jaw, eyes rolling back in the head or chronic ocular deviation to one side, Inability to control one’s urine or feces, During a seizure, there is no difficulty breathing. The skin might also be blue in color. After the seizure has ended, the child may take a few deep, free-flowing breaths.

A febrile seizure may just affect one arm or side of the child’s body. This is known as a focal febrile seizure because it occurs on one side of the body — generally the face, arm, leg, or all of them on one side of the body. The seizure might proceed to whole-body convulsions, which is referred to as a generalized seizure.

A febrile seizure might affect both sides of the body from the outset in certain persons.

Your family may have a history of febrile seizures. If you have a family member who had this illness as a kid, share it with your healthcare physician when addressing any suspected inherited (given down via a family) problems.

Simple and complicated febrile seizures are distinguished

Simple febrile seizures: These are the most frequent and can last anywhere from a few seconds to 15 minutes. Simple febrile seizures do not reoccur within 24 hours and are not limited to one area of the body.

Complex febrile seizures: These are longer than 15 minutes, occur more than once in 24 hours, or are limited to one side of your child’s body. Febrile seizures are more common within 24 hours of fever start and might be the first symptom that a youngster is unwell.

When to visit a doctor: Take your kid to the doctor as soon as possible after experiencing his or her first febrile seizure, even if it is only for a few seconds.

If the seizure lasts more than five minutes or is followed by vomiting, call an ambulance to send your kid to the emergency hospital, if they are accompanied by symptoms like Tense neck, Breathing difficulties, Extreme drowsiness

Things to do if your kid suffers a febrile seizure.

  1. Try to remain cool during a febrile seizure.
  2. Keep your youngster safe from harm.
  3. During the seizure, do not attempt to control or restrict the kid.
  4. If your youngster vomits, turn him or her onto his or her side.
  5. Put nothing in your child’s mouth.
  6. Loosen your clothes.
  7. A cushion or soft item might be used to support your child’s head.
  8. Try to keep track of how long the seizure lasts, what sorts of movements occur, and which portions of the child’s body are affected.
  9. Call 911 if the seizure lasts more than two minutes.
  10. Call your doctor right away and get your child checked for infection and seizure. As a last resort, consider referring to a seizure expert.
  11. Wait while the mind relaxes and recharges This is quite normal.

Even while there is no way to avoid a febrile seizure, there are a few things you may do to lower your child’s chances of having a fever.

Some everyday fever prevention measures for your child include:

  1. Give your child’s fever medicine as directed by his or her doctor.
  2. Your youngster should not be bundled up or overdressed. The skin conducts heat away from the body. The extra heat cannot escape if your youngster is wrapped in a blanket.
  3. Sponging your youngster with warm water or placing him or her in a small bathtub with 2 to 3 inches of water and dripping water over the child’s body. Stop sponging and remove your child from the bathwater if he or she begins to shiver or shake in the bathtub.
  4. Also, avoid using alcohol or cold water to reduce your child’s temperature.
  5. To combat dehydration with a fever, give your child lots of water.
  6. Try treating any infection that may be causing the fever as soon as possible.

Preventing febrile seizures

Except in rare situations of recurring febrile seizures, febrile seizures cannot be avoided. When your kid is unwell, lowering their fever with ibuprofen or acetaminophen does not prevent febrile seizures.

Because the majority of febrile seizures have no long-term consequences for your kid, it is usually not advised to administer any anti-seizure drugs to avoid future seizures.

However, if your kid has a history of febrile seizures or other risk factors, these prophylactic drugs may be prescribed.

While febrile seizures seldom create long-term problems, there are precautions you should take if your kid experiences one.

Always seek the advice of a doctor or a medical expert in the emergency department shortly after a seizure Your child’s doctor will want to make sure he or she does not have meningitis, which can be fatal.

This is especially true for youngsters under the age of one year.

Things to do if your kid have febrile seizure attack

  1. Turn them on their side.
  2. Nothing should be put in their mouth.
  3. Don’t limit the convulsions’ or shaking’s mobility.
  4. Remove anything that might do them damage during the convulsions (furniture, sharp items, etc.).
  5. To avoid falling injuries, place the youngster in a safe spot on the floor.
  6. Seizures should be timed.
  7. Treatment in an emergency
  8. If the seizure lasts more than 5 minutes or your kid is not breathing, call 911 or your local emergency services.
  9. Consult a doctor or an emergency medical expert after the febrile seizure has subsided.

If your kid is over 6 months old, have them take ibuprofen (Advil) or acetaminophen to reduce their fever (Tylenol). The medicine should be based on your child’s weight.

To chill them down, use a washcloth or sponge and room temperature water to wipe their skin. Only if your child has a more serious infection that has to be treated can he or she be admitted to the hospital.

The vast majority of children do not require medication to treat febrile seizures.

All of the above, plus a rectally given dosage of diazepam (Valium) gel, are used to treat recurrent febrile seizures. If your kid suffers recurring febrile seizures, you can be trained how to administer the medicine at home.

It is important to note that this medicine may only be given to your kid by a doctor. Children who experience repeated febrile seizures are more likely to develop epilepsy later in life.

What is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a central nervous system (neurological) illness characterized by aberrant brain activity, resulting in seizures or episodes of odd behavior, feelings, and, in some cases, loss of awareness. Epilepsy may affect everyone.

Men and women of all races, nationalities, and ages are affected by epilepsy. Some people with epilepsy just stare blankly for a few seconds during a seizure, while others move their limbs or legs regularly. A single seizure does not imply that you have epilepsy.

For an epilepsy diagnosis, at least two seizures without a known trigger (unprovoked seizures) that occur at least 24 hours apart are usually necessary. The majority of persons with epilepsy can be controlled by medication or, in rare cases, surgery. Some individuals require lifelong treatment to manage, but in others, the seizures fade away.

A single seizure does not indicate the presence of epilepsy (up to 10 percent of people worldwide have one seizure during their lifetime).

Epilepsy is one of the earliest documented medical diseases in the world, with written records reaching back to 4000 BCE. For generations, epilepsy has been fraught with fear, misinformation, prejudice, and social shame.

This stigma persists in many countries today, and it can have an impact on the quality of life for persons living with the condition and their families.

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