Febrile Seizures in Children and How to Overcome Them

Masmaol.com - Febrile seizures or better known as step disease in children occurs due to a rise in body temperature or high fever. High fever is generally caused by a viral or bacterial infection. Usually, febrile seizures in children are experienced when the baby is 6 months old until the child is 5 years old.

Causes of Febrile Seizures in Children

Febrile seizures are closely related to conditions that can cause a child to have a high fever, for example viral or bacterial infections and conditions after immunization, such as the DPT and MMR vaccines.

However, this does not mean that vaccines are the cause of febrile seizures, but because of the high fever that children experience after vaccination. The following are risk factors that can cause recurrent febrile seizures:

• History of family members who have a history of febrile seizures
• Previous history of febrile seizures lasting more than 15 minutes or occurring when the body temperature is below 40 degrees
• Occurs for the first time before the child is 18 months old

Characteristics of Febrile Seizures in Children

When a child has a febrile seizure, he will show some of the following signs and symptoms:

• High fever with a temperature of more than 38o Celsius
• Both hands and feet jerking
• Eyes roll up
• Unconscious or asleep after the seizure is over

In addition, based on how long the seizure lasts, this condition can be divided into two types, namely:

Simple Febrile Seizures

Simple febrile seizures occur all over the body and do not recur within 24 hours. The duration of these seizures lasts only a few seconds to less than 15 minutes

Complex Febrile Seizures

Complex febrile seizures usually only occur in one part of the body, for example the left hand and foot. In addition, seizures may recur within a 24-hour period and last more than 15 minutes.

How to Handle Fever Seizures in Children

If your little one has a high fever and has a history of febrile seizures, try giving him a fever reliever, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, to lower his body temperature. You can also give cold compresses to relieve the fever.

In children who experience recurrent febrile seizures, you can use anti-seizure drugs as directed by the doctor. To treat febrile seizures in children, doctors can prescribe diazepam in tablet or syrup form.

Apart from that, a diazepam tube that is given through the anus is also often prescribed by doctors. This drug can also be given to prevent and treat febrile seizures in children.

The use of anti-seizure drugs in children needs to be adjusted according to the child's weight and age. Therefore, no matter what type of anti-seizure drug is used, you need to consult a doctor first so that the dosage of the drug is safe and in accordance with the condition of your little one.

If your child has a febrile seizure at home, here's what you can do to deal with it:

• Don't hold your little one's spasms, but place him on a flat surface, such as a carpeted floor or bed.
• Don't put anything in his mouth during or after the seizure.
• Position your little one's body in a sideways position, not on his back after he has a seizure. This is important to do to prevent your little one's tongue from blocking his airway.
• Calculate the duration of the febrile seizure experienced by the child and immediately take him to the nearest emergency room (ER) if the seizure lasts for more than 5 minutes or occurs more than 1 time in 24 hours.

Complications of Febrile Seizures in Children

Febrile seizures rarely cause long-term complications, especially the simple type of febrile seizures. However, febrile seizures are often associated with the risk of epilepsy in children. In fact, these two diseases are two different conditions.

Unlike febrile seizures, seizures in epilepsy are not caused by fever, but by disturbances in brain activity. According to research, the risk of epilepsy can indeed increase by 5–10% in children with febrile seizures with the following conditions:

• Complex febrile seizures
• Disorders of neurodevelopment and brain
• Family history of epilepsy

To determine the cause of febrile seizures in children, the doctor will carry out a series of physical examinations and other supporting examinations, such as blood tests and urine tests.

In conditions of complex febrile seizures, the doctor will also suggest an electroencephalography (EEG) and brain MRI to determine whether the child has epilepsy.

Conclusion

When your little one has a febrile seizure, try not to panic and give him first aid while monitoring his condition. If your little one's condition is stable and doesn't have another seizure within 24 hours after the first febrile seizure, this is most likely not dangerous.

However, if your child's febrile seizures often recur, occur more than 2 times, or the seizures last longer than 5 minutes, immediately take your little one to the doctor so that proper treatment can be given.

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