Risk of epilepsy after febrile convulsion in children

This article is professionally consulted by Resident Doctor, Doctor Nguyen Hung Tien - Resident Doctor of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.

Children between 6 and 36 months of age when they have a high fever often have convulsions. This is the body's response to a bacterial or viral infection or after a child has been vaccinated against measles or mumps. So is febrile convulsion dangerous? Does febrile convulsion affect the brain or what is the risk of post-febrile seizures in children?

Febrile seizures in young children, also known as non-epileptic seizures, are not related to CNS disease or acute pseudo-electrical disturbances. The condition usually occurs in children between the ages of 6 and 36 months, and is especially common in children as young as 2 years old. Children with a fever above 38 degrees are at higher risk of convulsions. The risk of recurrent febrile seizures is usually higher with age.
Symptoms of febrile convulsions:
When a child has a high fever, there is an additional state of convulsion. When having a febrile convulsion, the child often loses feeling, has no control over the body, has convulsions or shakes his limbs violently due to muscle spasms for a certain period of time. Usually when a child has a high fever of over 38.9 degrees, if the fever is not brought down in time, it is easy to have a convulsion.
When having a febrile convulsion, the child cannot control urination, has difficulty breathing and grits his teeth, easily biting his tongue and inner cheeks.
Children with a fever who develop convulsions are not called epilepsy, because the typical symptom of epilepsy is repeated seizures and even when the body does not have a fever, they still have normal convulsions. Genetic factors are the leading cause of seizures in children with high fever.

Most children with febrile convulsions do not cause harm, so parents do not need to use medicine to prevent seizures.
Based on the duration of seizures in children, they are divided into 2 types:
Febrile seizures in children are simple if the seizure lasts less than 15 minutes and is not focal in nature, i.e. not accompanied central nervous system infections. If the febrile convulsion is complicated when it persists for more than 15 minutes continuously or stops temporarily, the convulsion repeats more than once a day and is focal in nature. This type is very dangerous, because prolonged convulsions can predispose the child to primary CNS infection, structural or metabolic pathology. If the seizure repeats, the child may have a more severe disorder or epilepsy. Therefore, if a child has a seizure for 10 minutes or more, parents need to take the child to see a doctor quickly for timely treatment.

According to research, the risk of a child having a seizure after a febrile seizure is about 2%. This rate often happens to children in the family who have had a febrile convulsion (hereditary factor), have neurological problems,...
If the child only has a simple febrile convulsion, the parents No need to worry too much, because the risk of death, brain effects or cognitive impairment is almost no. Febrile seizures affect the brain, cognitive decline only occurs when children have complex febrile convulsions (convulsions lasting more than 15 minutes), not promptly handled.

Most children with febrile seizures usually do not need anticonvulsants. Only the following cases should parents give them:
Children who had febrile convulsions in childhood and often had recurrent seizures Children with febrile seizures with neurological abnormalities Children with complex febrile seizures About Basically, it is possible to use antipyretic drugs for children to drink to help lower body temperature, be comfortable and avoid the risk of convulsions if in the pure form. However, in the case of children with complex convulsions, many cases of using antipyretic drugs still do not work, the child still has normal seizures.

Parents should note, when a child has a febrile convulsion, they should follow these steps:
Loosen the child's clothes Place the child in a lying position on the left side, prop a pillow to avoid choking sputum in the neck Place anal antipyretic , should not give medicine. Monitor the time the child has a seizure, call 911 immediately if after 10 minutes the convulsion continues. To prevent children from having a febrile convulsion, it is best for parents to pay attention, to avoid letting the child have a fever that is too high and the body temperature too hot. Make sure your child gets enough sleep, should drink plenty of fluids and feed them with adequate nutrition for health.
Fever is not uncommon in young children, usually by about 5 years of age, febrile seizures in children are almost gone. However, to ensure good health for children, parents need to pay special attention, when children have high fever, they need to take them to see a doctor for timely treatment.
Pediatrics Department - Vinmec International General Hospital is the address for receiving and examining diseases that infants and young children are susceptible to such as: viral fever, bacterial fever, otitis media in children, ... With a team of qualified doctors and modern medical equipment, the examination and treatment process becomes quick and easy, helping children to soon stabilize their health. Therefore, the hospital is a trusted examination address for many parents today.