High fever in children is dangerous because of underlying diseases. A small amount of elevation will not harm the child.
However, due to high fever, a seizure (febrile convulsion) develops in one out of every 30 children aged 6 months to 6 years. In this case, the fever is usually well above 38 ⁰C. For the most part, it does not harm the child.
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What are the symptoms of convulsions in children?
Fever-induced seizures are usually short-lived. The child has convulsions and jumps, twitches arms and legs, blue eyes, poor consciousness, may wet or soil the bed.
Sometimes foam accumulates in the mouth. They have a sleepy state after the seizure.
Sometimes the seizure duration exceeds 15 minutes. Consult your doctor for prolonged or recurrent seizures.
What should I do when my child is having a seizure?
Take it easy, it’s mostly temporary, it won’t harm the child. Try to reduce the child’s fever, stay with him during the seizure, do not give anything to his mouth, do not feed him, do not drink. Note the duration and pattern of the seizure and you will describe it to your doctor.
If the child has a seizure for the first time, the duration of the seizure has exceeded 5 minutes, and has difficulty breathing, contact the emergency room.
What does the doctor look for in a child who has a convulsion?
The doctor questions the referral of the child who had a seizure. When it started, how long did it last, how did it develop, did it repeat, is there a family history of seizures?
The examination also evaluates signs of meningitis such as nuchal rigidity. It tries to detect the underlying disease.
Laboratory and x-ray findings may be necessary to diagnose the underlying disease. In some cases, electroencephalogram (EEG), cerebrospinal fluid samples may be required.
It is temporary, it does not leave any damage to the child. During contractions, the child should be prevented from hitting something and hurting himself. If the convulsion does not go away, take the child to the emergency room as soon as possible with his back turned to you, his head to his side and the airway open.
Do the seizures recur?
Often the seizures are one-off and do not recur. However, those with a family history, children younger than 18 months, may recur in cases such as high fever persists.
What to do in the treatment of seizures?
The priority is to reduce the fever and prevent the child from harming himself during the seizure. In some exceptional cases, drugs such as diazepam or lorazepam may be given, especially for recurrent seizures.
What are the complications of seizures?
The biggest complication is that the child harms himself during the seizure. ,
Some state that those who have had a seizure may have an increased risk of developing epilepsy. There is no evidence that this risk is increased.