Patient's question:
A 2.5-year-old child has had three episodes of high fever seizures so far. Is it epilepsy? On the 8th, while playing normally, the child suddenly had their eyes roll back, experienced convulsions, and unlike the previous episodes, there was no foaming at the mouth. The duration might have been around 20 minutes on the way to the hospital. Upon arrival, the child was given sedatives, but the convulsions did not stop. The doctor increased the dosage, and the child gradually stabilized. An electroencephalogram (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were conducted, both of which were mostly normal. Is this epilepsy, or are these high fever seizures? The child's temperature at the hospital was 38.8°C. The local doctor advised a preventive approach, emphasizing that the child should not get feverish. What should I do? The kind of help needed: treatment for epilepsyDoctor's answer:
High fever seizures are not epilepsy. However, repeated high fever seizures may harm the brain and lead to epilepsy.Most children with high fever seizures first experience them between 6 months and 5 years of age, and the frequency of seizures gradually increases with age until they completely disappear. High fever seizures have a clear generational inheritance pattern. When a child has a cold or the initial stage of a feverish illness, oral antipyretic medication should be given in advance, or physical cooling methods should be used to prevent a sudden drop in body temperature. !