How to cope when your child has a seizure from fever

In January 2012, I was flying home from Dubai with my husband and our two daughters. We had just settled into our 14-hour flight to Toronto. Our two-and-a-half-year-old was content watching a movie and our 14-month-old, Amelia, was asleep on my chest. It was smooth sailing, until Amelia vomited. That’s when I realized that her eyes were glassy, she was burning up, shaking and unresponsive. As my husband called for a flight attendant, the situation quickly escalated; Amelia was now violently convulsing and foaming at the mouth. The plane was over water, there was no way out. We thought we were going to lose our baby. It was the longest fi ve minutes of my life and Amelia’s only febrile seizure to date. 

Children who have a febrile seizure are generally healthy kids, Amelia just happened to react to this particular fever in a drastic manner. 

Febrile seizures are episodes of uncontrollable jerking movements that are provoked by a fever, typically occurring without warning as the fever begins to spike. Children who have a history of febrile seizures can seize at any fever over 38°C. Approximately one in every 25 children between six months and five years will have one febrile seizure. About 30 percent of these children will have subsequent ones. 

“Febrile seizures are most common in the second year of life, peaking at 18 months of age,” says Dr. Elizabeth Donner, pediatric neurologist at SickKids Hospital in Toronto and associate professor at the University of Toronto. Although there is no known cause for febrile seizures, there appears to be a strong genetic component. While terrifying, they are often short and harmless, and kids usually bounce back quickly from a single, typical febrile seizure. Most febrile seizures last less than fi ve minutes, says Dr. Donner. However, if the seizure lasts longer than fi ve minutes, call an ambulance right away. 

Your child will be drowsy and confused after the seizure so let him or her sleep. Treat the fever, keep the child well hydrated and avoid heavy blankets. Take the child to a doctor as soon as possible; the doctor will want to determine the cause of the fever and will want you to describe the seizure. How long did it last? How did the child look and move? The doctor will also likely ask you about the child’s development. All of this information will help the doctor to determine the type of febrile seizure and help rule out any other brain dysfunction. 

Once the fever breaks, give yourself and your child a day on the couch; you both deserve it. And try to find solace in knowing that not every fever will result in a febrile seizure and that your child will outgrow it.

When febrile seizures strike

• Remain calm. 
• Check the time so you have a rough idea of how long the seizure lasts. 
• Keep the child safe by clearing the area and rolling the child gently on the side, or at least turning their head to the side so that fluid can drain from the mouth. 
• Place something soft under the child’s head. 
• Loosen tight clothing (especially around the neck) and remove glasses. 
• Never restrain the child or place anything in the mouth (they will not swallow their tongue). 
• Never submerge the child in water or give the child medication, unless instructed to do so by a doctor. You have to wait it out. It will stop.

Risks factors for subsequent febrile seizures: 

1. Family history of febrile seizure 
2. Have a first febrile seizure before the age of 18 months 
3. Having a seizure very soon after the onset of fever (within one hour) 
4. Moderate fever at the time of the seizure (between 39°C to 40°C)

Courtesy:  Pamela Mazzuca