What are febrile seizures?

Parents can best help their child during a febrile seizure by remaining as calm as possible themselves. The following things are important too:

• Stay with the child and comfort them.
• Do not hold them tight or shake them.
• Prevent injury: Blankets and pillows can help to prevent the child from hurting themselves – for instance, if their arms and legs bump against the bed or wall.
• Never give the child anything to eat or drink during a seizure.
• Look at the time so you can see how long the seizure lasts.
• Pay close attention to the child during the seizure.
• After the seizure, lay the child on their side so you can see their face clearly and saliva (spit) can flow out of their mouth.

If it's the child's first febrile seizure, it's important to seek medical advice right away. But even if it's not the first time, the child should be seen by a doctor after having a seizure. This is because, in rare cases, a febrile seizure can be a sign of another medical condition (like epilepsy). Further examinations and tests may help to rule out that possibility.

The doctor's office can prescribe an emergency medication that parents can give the child themselves the next time they have a febrile seizure.

Simple febrile seizures usually don't last longer than 3 to 4 minutes. In rare cases, they may last up to 15 minutes. They don't occur again within the next 24 hours. Particularly the first time a child has a febrile seizure, it's important to seek medical help straight away. You can also call the emergency services and ask for an ambulance. That way the child can be examined immediately in order to rule out other causes. The emergency telephone number is 112 in Germany and many other European countries, and 911 in the U.S.

Complex febrile seizures last longer than 15 minutes. The muscle spasms usually only occur on one side of the body. The child may have a further seizure within the next 24 hours. If a child is having a complex febrile seizure or if they are under three months old, it's important to call the emergency services. The emergency doctor can then give the child anticonvulsant medication which normally stops the seizure soon after.

It is not exactly clear why some children tend to have febrile seizures and others don't. This tendency may run in families (be passed on from parents to children through their genes).

Although febrile seizures can be very alarming and worrying, they are only very rarely caused by a serious condition such as meningitis. Vaccines hardly play any role either.

Up to 30 out of 100 children have another febrile seizure within one year of their first one.

Some parents are quick to give their child fever-reducing medication to try to prevent febrile seizures. But research suggests that fever-reducing medication can't prevent febrile seizures.