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Fever Seizures
About this symptom
Fever seizures (sometimes called fever convulsions or febrile seizures) can occur in children who have a rapid increase in body temperature. You may not even know your child has a fever. The rapid increase in body temperature in a short period of time may happen at the same time as the fever seizure. After a fever has reached a high temperature, the risk of a seizure is probably over. Most children who have a fever seizure have temperatures above 102°F (39°C).
A seizure is likely to be fever-related if:
- There is one seizure in a 24-hour period.
- The seizure lasted less than 15 minutes.
- The seizure affected the entire body, not just one side of the body.
- The child is between 6 months and 5 years old.
- The child does not have nervous system (neurological) problems.
- The child has had fever seizures before.
Fever seizures can be frightening but they are not usually harmful to the child and do not cause long-term problems, such as brain damage, intellectual disabilities, or learning problems.
Fever seizures affect 2% to 5% of children. Children can have another seizure. The chance of another fever seizure varies with age, but about 30% to 50% will have another within a year of the first one. These seizures are not a form of epilepsy.
A child who is having a seizure often loses consciousness and shakes, moving his or her arms and legs on both sides of the body. The child's eyes may roll back. The child may stop breathing for a few seconds and might also vomit, urinate, or pass stools. It is important to protect the child from injury during a seizure.
Fever seizures usually last 1 to 3 minutes. After the seizure, the child may be sleepy. You can let the child sleep, but check him or her frequently for changes in color or breathing, or twitching arms or legs. The child also may seem confused after the seizure, but normal behavior and activity level should return within 60 minutes of the seizure.
Use the Check Your Symptoms section to decide if and when your child should see a doctor.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: April 18, 2011 |
| Medical Review: | William H. Blahd, Jr., MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine H. Michael O'Connor, MD - Emergency Medicine | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
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