Febrile Seizures

What are febrile seizures?
Febrile seizures are seizures that occur as result of a high fever. Fever causes a seizure in about 1/35 children, making it the most common cause of seizures in children. Febrile seizures are very scary, especially to the parents of young children. It is believed, however, that these seizures are not harmful. 30-40% of the time a febrile seizure will reoccur.

Who gets febrile seizures?
A fever, if serious, can cause a seizure in individuals of any age. Children between the ages of 3 months and 5 years, however, appear to be the most affected by febrile seizures.

Febrile seizure first aid
The golden rule for all seizures is: if it lasts longer than 5 minutes, go to the hospital. This applies to febrile seizures too.
You may want to try an "antipyretic drug" (ie, a drug that reduces fever), such as acetaminophen (Tylenol®).

What causes febrile seizures?
It isn't fully understood why a fever causes seizure activity. It probably has to do with the complex, developing brain being more susceptible to fever than the more "set" or "developed" adult brain.

Febrile status epilepticus
Febrile status epilepticus occurs when febrile seizures last longer than 5 minutes and do not respond well to treatment. There seizures are thought to be more serious as they may predispose someone to developing epilepsy later in life. An ongoing study in the USA suggests that a small population of individuals that have febrile status epilepticus will go on to develop some brain damage in an area called the hippocampus. These individuals are then likely to develop drug-resistant epilepsy.

More detailed information about febrile seizures can be found here.