Fever seizures (sometimes called fever convulsions or febrile seizures) can occur in children who have an increase in body temperature. You may not even know that your child has a fever. The increase in body temperature may happen at the same time as the fever seizure. Most children who have a fever seizure have temperatures above 102°F (39°C).
Watch the video: Temperature checking 101
When body temperature leads to seizure
A seizure is likely to be fever-related if:
- There is one seizure in a 24-hour period.
- The seizure lasts less than 15 minutes.
- The seizure affects the entire body, not just one side of the body.
- The child is between 6 months and 5 years old.
- The child doesn't have nervous system (neurological) problems.
- The child has had fever seizures before.
Risk factors for recurrence
Fever seizures affect 2–5% of children. About 30% to 50% of children who have a fever seizure will have another within a year. Instances of these seizures vary by age and aren't a form of epilepsy.
Symptoms and safety
Children who are having a seizure may:
- Lose consciousness and shake, moving their arms and legs on both sides of the body
- Experience their eyes rolling back
- Stop breathing for a few seconds
- Vomit, urinate or pass stools.
It's important to protect a child from injury during a seizure. Fever seizures usually last 1 to 3 minutes. After a seizure, children may be sleepy. You can let them sleep but check them often for changes in color or breathing or for twitching arms or legs. Children also may seem confused after a seizure. But their behavior and activity level should be back to normal within minutes of the seizure.
Fever seizures can be scary. But they usually aren't harmful to the child. They usually don't cause long-term problems, such as brain damage, intellectual disabilities or learning problems.
Care
If your child is having a fever-induced seizure, you can/should:
- Give your child acetaminophen (Tylenol®) or ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®) to help bring down the fever. Do not use ibuprofen if your child is less than 6 months old unless your doctor gives you instructions to use it. Be safe with medications. Read and follow all instructions on the label. Do not give aspirin to children and teens. It has been linked to Reye's Syndrome, a rare but serious illness.
- Be careful when giving your child over-the-counter cold or flu medicines and Tylenol® at the same time. Many of these medicines have acetaminophen, which is Tylenol®. Read the labels to make sure that you are not giving your child more than the recommended dose. Too much acetaminophen can be harmful.
- If your child has another seizure during the same illness:
- Protect the child from injury. Ease the child to the floor or lay a very small child face down on your lap.
- Turn the child onto their side, which will help clear the mouth of any vomit or saliva. This will help keep the tongue from blocking airflow into your child. Keeping your child's head and chin forward also will help keep the airway open.
- Loosen your child's clothing.
- Do not put anything in the child's mouth to stop tongue-biting. This could injure you or your child.
- Try to stay calm. It will help calm the child. Comfort your child with quiet, soothing talk.
- Try to time the length of the seizure. Note your child's behavior during the seizure so you can tell your child's doctor about it.
When to seek help
Call 911 anytime you think your child may need emergency care. For example, call if:
- Your child's seizure lasts more than 3 minutes.
- Your child is very sick or has trouble staying awake or being woken up.
- Your child has another seizure during the same illness.
- Your child has new symptoms, such as weakness or numbness in any part of the body.
Call your doctor now or seek immediate medical care if:
- Your child's fever does not come down with acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin).
- Your child is not acting normally.
Watch closely for changes in your child's health and be sure to contact your doctor if your child does not get better as expected.
Copyrighted material adapted with permission from Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor.
