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3 years
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My son, 3years old had his 1st febrile convulsion in Jan 15, then Oct 27 & Dec 1. Should he see a Pediatric Neurologist & do an EEG?What are the risks
Dec 1, 2015
2nd opinion

Dr. Zakia Dimassi Pediatrics
Febrile seizures are seizures or convulsions that occur in young children only in association with an elevation of temperature. Young children between the ages of about 6 months and 5 years old are the most likely to experience febrile seizures; this risk peaks during the second year of life. The fever may accompany common childhood illnesses such as a cold, the flu, or an ear infection. In some cases, a child may not have a fever at the time of the seizure but will develop one a few hours later.

Febrile seizures are divided into 3 groups, as follows:
· Simple febrile seizures:
The setting is fever in a child aged 6 months to 5 years.
The single seizure is generalized and lasts less than 15 minutes.
The child is otherwise neurologically healthy and without neurological abnormality
Fever (and seizure) is not caused by any illness affecting the brain, such as meningitis

·  Complex febrile seizures:
o  Age, neurological status before the illness, and fever are the same as for simple febrile seizure.
o   This seizure is either focal (involving one part of the body, such as only one arm) or prolonged (>15 min), or multiple seizures occur in close succession

·    Symptomatic febrile seizures:
o Age and fever are the same as for simple febrile seizure.
o  The child has a preexisting neurological abnormality or acute illness

Children with a previous simple febrile seizure are at increased risk of recurrent febrile seizures; this occurs in approximately one third of cases.
Children younger than 12 months at the time of their first simple febrile seizure have a 50% probability of having a second seizure. After 12 months, the probability decreases to 30%. The evidence shows that simple febrile seizures do not negatively affect intelligence (ie, cause a learning disability).

The vast majority of febrile seizures are convulsions. Most often during a febrile seizure, a child will lose consciousness and both arms and legs will shake uncontrollably. Less common symptoms include eye rolling, rigid (stiff) limbs, or twitching on only one side or a portion of the body, such as an arm or a leg. Sometimes during a febrile seizure, a child may lose consciousness but will not noticeably shake or move.

Most febrile seizures last only a few minutes and are accompanied by a fever above 38.3°C.  Although they can be frightening for parents, brief febrile (less than 15 min) seizures do not lead to any long-term health problems. Having a febrile seizure does not mean a child has epilepsy, since that disorder is characterized by reoccurring seizures that are not triggered by fever. Even prolonged seizures (more 15 min) generally have a good outcome but carry an increased risk of developing epilepsy.

The vast majority of febrile seizures are short and do not cause any long-term damage. There is no evidence that short febrile seizures cause brain damage. Multiple or prolonged seizures are a risk factor for epilepsy but most children who experience febrile seizures do not go on to develop the reoccurring seizures that are characteristic of epilepsy. Children who experience a brief, full body febrile seizure are slightly more likely to develop epilepsy than the general population.

No specific studies are indicated for a simple febrile seizure. The doctor should be concerned with diagnosing the cause of fever, such as an underlying infectious process.
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