can a child die from febrile seizure

Can febrile seizure lead to death?

Febrile seizures are usually considered relatively benign, and no reported cases of febrile seizure-induced death have been documented (1, 2). By contrast, sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is a well-established phenomenon but excludes patients without a diagnosis of epilepsy (3).

Are febrile seizures serious?

Febrile seizures occur in young, healthy children who have normal development and haven't had any neurological symptoms before. It can be frightening when your child has a febrile seizure. Fortunately, febrile seizures are usually harmless, only last a few minutes, and typically don't indicate a serious health problem.

Can a kid die from seizure?

Although seizures are common in children, they are often overlooked as a potential cause of death. Febrile and nonfebrile seizures can be fatal in children with or without an epilepsy diagnosis and may go unrecognized by parents or physicians.

Can febrile seizures happen during sleep?

A febrile seizure may occur at night when you and your child are sleeping. Since brief febrile seizures do not cause harm, missing a brief seizure is not important. The noises of a long febrile seizure would almost certainly awaken you.

Do febrile seizures cause brain damage?

There is no evidence that short febrile seizures cause brain damage. Large studies have found that even children with prolonged febrile seizures have normal school achievement and perform as well on intellectual tests as their siblings who do not have seizures.

When should I worry about a febrile seizure?

Get emergency medical care if your child: has a febrile seizure that lasts longer than 5 minutes. the seizure involves only some parts of the body instead of the whole body. has trouble breathing or turns blue.

How many kids die of seizures?

A recently published cohort of children with epilepsy (including both prevalent and incident cases) reported an overall mortality rate of 6.9 deaths per 1000 person years (Sillanpaa & Shinnar, 2010).

How likely is it to die from a seizure?

Death from epilepsy is rare. The leading cause of death among people with uncontrolled epilepsy, sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, or SUDEP, kills 1 in 1,000 people who have the disorder.

How many febrile seizures do children have?

While most children will only ever have one febrile seizure, some children will have more than one seizure, usually during illnesses that cause a fever. Most children who have febrile seizures do not have any long-term health problems. They will normally grow out of them by the age of six.

Can a child stop breathing during a febrile seizure?

IMPORTANT: If the seizure lasts longer than five minutes, the child appears to have blue lips or has stopped breathing, call 911 or your local emergency number.

Can febrile seizures turn into epilepsy?

We know that between 2 and 4 percent of children who experience febrile seizures will go on to develop epilepsy – which involves recurrent seizures in the absence of a fever. Remember, this is 2 to 4 percent of the 2 to 4 percent of children who experience a febrile seizure.

How do you prevent febrile seizures?

Giving the child diazepam (Valium) when illness or fever begins can reduce the risk of having another febrile seizure. However, to prevent one febrile seizure in this way, 14 other children who were never destined to have another febrile seizure will receive the medicine needlessly!

Overview

Symptoms

Causes

Risk Factors

Complications

• Most febrile seizures produce no lasting effects. Simple febrile seizures don't cause brain damage, intellectual disability or learning disabilities, and they don't mean your child has a more serious underlying disorder. Febrile seizures are provoked seizures and don't indicate epilepsy. Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent unprovoked...

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