Febrile Seizure

While fever is the body's natural defense against infection, approximately five percent of children have what are classified as "simple" febrile seizures while running a fever. If anyone has a child who suffers from febrile seizures, take heart ... 99 percent of children outgrow them by the time they are six years old and there are generally no ill after effects. Febrile seizures can occur in babies as young as three months old. When the child is running a fever, a seizure brought on by the sudden rise of their body temperature can overtake them. Febrile seizures look like epileptic attacks and they are one of the most frightening events a parent can live through. These seizures happen only when a child has a fever and are not a precursor to epilepsy, although in about 1 percent of cases, febrile seizures are an indication of more complicated neurological problems. When my older daughter was 18 months old, she had her first febrile seizure. Thankfully, I had read about them and knew what was happening. The first episode lasted less than two minutes and by the time the paramedics arrived, she was sleeping peacefully. I wish I could say that was her last febrile seizure. She had at least ten more in the following four years, with the last episode occurring when she was five-and-a-half-years-old. While we tried to learn everything there was to know about these seizures, the best explanation any doctor had was that they were hereditary. Sometimes I wonder about the genetic conclusions doctors jump to. As far as my husband and I knew, no one in our immediate families had recurring febrile seizures, nor did our younger daughter ever have a febrile seizure. As we were told by numerous physicians to expect our other children to have them too, we were enormously relieved when we were spared yet another 5 years of anxiety and living in fear of the dreaded fevers. Not all children who have a febrile seizure will have another one. I believe the statistics are 30 percent of children will suffer only one. If you've lived through this once, I pray you are one of the lucky parents who never have to witness your child in the grips of this malady again. While these seizures do not cause the child long-term harm, they can age a parent ten years overnight. There are many redundant articles online that explain and explore febrile seizures, their complications and coping strategies for parents, although all that can really be done is to make sure the child is safe and allow the seizure to pass. Knowledge is power. The more you know about febrile seizures, the better you will be able to cope if your child ever has one or has already suffered one or more seizures.

Author: Rexanne Mancini

Type of seizure

A seizure is the result of an impulsive burst of excess electrical activity in the brain. This causes the brain's messages to become momentarily halted or mixed up. The type of seizure a person has depends on the area of the brain where this activity occurs.

Seizure types are organized firstly according to whether the source of the seizure within the brain is localized (partial or focal onset seizures) or distributed (generalized seizures). Partial seizures are further divided on the extent to which consciousness is affected. If it is unaffected, then it is a simple partial seizure; otherwise it is a complex partial seizure. A partial seizure may spread within the brain - a process known as secondary generalisation. Generalized seizures are divided according to the effect on the body but all involve loss of consciousness. These include absence (petit mal), myoclonic, clonic, tonic,general tonic-clonic (grand mal), and atonic seizures.

Epileptic seizures are classed as partial or generalised. Partial seizures involve part of the brain, while generalised seizures involve the whole brain. It is possible for partial seizures to become generalised seizures if the epileptic activity spreads to the whole brain.

Because there are so many different seizure types and symptoms, epilepsy can be a difficult condition to diagnose. Some people may go for years without being given a correct diagnosis of epilepsy. It is possible for some people to be misdiagnosed with epilepsy.

What are seizures

Seizures are temporary abnormal electro-physiologic phenomena of the brain, which are sudden, short and uncontrolled, resulting in abnormal synchronization of electrical neuronal activity. They can manifest as change in mental state, tonic or clonic movements, convulsions, and other psychical symptoms. Manifestasion of seizure depends on the number of neuron and which area of brain that is involved, but seizures often cause unusual sensations, uncontrollable muscle spasms, and loss of consciousness.

Some seizures may be the result of a medical problem such as infection, low and high blood sugar , a head injury, accidental poisoning, or drug overdose. A seizure may also be due to a brain tumor or other health problem affecting the brain. In addition, anything that results in a sudden lack of oxygen to the brain can cause a seizure. In some cases, the cause of the seizure is never discovered.

When seizures recur, it may indicate the chronic condition known as epilepsy.

Febrile seizures, quite common in kids younger than 4 years old, can occur when a child develops a high fever, usually with the temperature rising rapidly to 102° Fahrenheit (38.9° Celsius) or more.

What can you do when someone have a seizure?

Here are 6 things you could do when someone have a seizure:

1. don’t be panic
2. the seizure can’t be stopped unless by medication, you just have to wait until it stopped
3. place someone who’s having a seizure on the ground or floor in a safe area, removed any nearby objects
4. loosen any clothing around the head or neck.
5. once the seizure seems to have ended, roll him or her onto him or her side
6. when the seizure over 5 minutes, call for emergency medical services