A febrile convulsion is a situation causing
fits or seizure with fever in infancy (3 months) or up to 5 years of age
provided the underlying cause is not of origin from the nervous system. If the
fit is without fever, then it is not considered to be febrile convulsion. It is
short lasting and it occurs only once usually within 24 hours. It is a
generalized fit or convulsion. If a problem in the nervous system, like
meningitis or a tumour, gives rise to a convulsion, then it is not called febrile convulsion. Febrile convulsion is
caused by infectious fever, be it bacterial or viral and be it a fever in the
respiratory tract, influenza, gastroenteritis, measles, ear infection, mumps,
or acute tonsillitis. Children, whose brother or sister has a history of convulsion,
are 2-3 times more at risk than others in contracting these convulsions. It is
worth noting that febrile convulsions are just temporary and they do not cause
any development delay, retardation, behavioral abnormalities, or death in your
child. It continues throughout life as epilepsy only very rarely. Most children
never get it after the age of 5 years. Occasionally it may recur again when there is fever so it is
very important that you should control the fever first whenever it comes.
Consult your doctor immediately if your child has a convulsion.
Symptoms
General symptoms of febrile convulsions
include high 102℉+ fever, as also fever with rapid low to high-temperature
change. The convulsion occurs usually within hours of onset of the fever. It is
generalized with first sustained contraction and then leads to a relaxation of
the muscles, the whole process lasting for few seconds to minutes, in most
cases less than 15 minutes. Occasionally the seizure may be repetitive, and if
it lasts beyond 15 minutes then it is known as a complex seizure. Male children
are slightly more affected than female ones.
Do's and Don’ts
If your child is having a fit see to it that
s/he should not fall or injure himself/herself. Move away from any objects that
may injure him/her. Do not try to stop the convulsion by pulling or holding the
limbs. Instead, wait for it to cease on its own. If you can put a pad of cloth
between the teeth, it will help to prevent tongue bite. You should contact a
doctor at the earliest for the treatment of the cause of a fever. As soon as
the fever starts to rise, lower the child’s temperature by tepid water sponging
– take tap water in a big vessel, dip a soft towel in it and wipe the child
from head to toe several times, each time dipping the towel afresh. Ask your
doctor for medication to lower the temperature whenever your child gets the
fever.
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