Episode 951: Pediatric Febrile Seizures

Contributor: Taylor Lynch, MD

Educational Pearls:

• Pediatric febrile seizures are defined as seizures that occur between the ages of six months to five years in the presence of a fever greater than or equal to 38.0 ºC (100.4 ºF). It is the most common pediatric convulsive disorder, with an incidence between 2-5%

• What are the types of seizures?

• Simple: Tonic-clonic seizure, duration <15 minutes, only one occurrence in a 24-hour period, ABSENCE of focal features, ABSENCE of Todd’s paralysis

• Complex: Duration >15 minutes, requires medication to stop the seizing, multiple occurrences in a 24-hour period, PRESENCE of focal features, PRESENCE of Todd’s paralysis

• What are the causes?

• Caused by infectious agents leading to fever. Seen with common childhood infections. 

• It is debated whether the absolute temperature of the fever or the rate of change of temperature incites the seizure, but current evidence points to the rate of change of the temperature being the primary catalyst

• What are the treatment considerations?

• For simple febrile seizures, work-up is similar to any pediatric patient presenting with a fever between the ages of six months and five years

• Thorough physical exam to rule out any potential of meningeal or intracranial infections

• Prophylactic antipyretics are not believed to prevent the occurrence of febrile seizures

• Disposition? 

• If the patient has returned to normal baseline behavior following a simple febrile seizure, and the physical exam is reassuring, the patient can be discharged home. 

• Additional labs, electroencephalogram, or lumbar punctures are not indicated in simple febrile seizures as long as the physical exam is completely normal

• Any evidence of a complex seizure requires further workup

• Fast Facts: 

• Patients with a familial history of febrile seizures and developmental delays have a higher risk of developing febrile seizures

• If a child has one febrile seizure, there is a 30-40% chance of another febrile seizure by age 5

• Only 2-7% of children with febrile seizures go on to develop epilepsy

References: 

1. Berg AT, Shinnar S, Hauser WA, Alemany M, Shapiro ED, Salomon ME, et al. A prospective study of recurrent febrile seizures. N Engl J Med. 1992 Oct 15;327(16):1122–7. 

2. Schuchmann S, Vanhatalo S, Kaila K. Neurobiological and physiological mechanisms of fever-related epileptiform syndromes. Brain Dev. 2009 May;31(5):378–82. 

3. Nilsson