Patient's question:
At half a year old, fever of 39-40 degrees, convulsions, unable to speak, limbs unable to extend, difficulty breathing, pale face, vacant stare.Duration of this episode and its persistence: October 20, 2005.
Current general condition: Good.
Medical history: Similar symptoms occurred in June 2005.
Previous diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes: Hospitalized and recovered.
Auxiliary tests: CT normal, EEG abnormal.
Doctor's answer:
Hello: Characteristics of febrile convulsions:1. In children without central nervous system infection, convulsions occur when the temperature is above 38.5°C, especially above 39°C. The convulsions are generalized, often，with loss of consciousness, fixed or upwardly rolling eyes, head extension, and involuntary or rigid limb movements. The corners of the mouth or facial muscles may also twitch. There may be apnea, and the face may appear cyanotic or pale. The duration is short, generally less than 10 minutes.
2. Convulsions typically occur within 24 hours of the onset of high fever, especially within 12 hours, during a rapid rise in temperature.
3. Consciousness recovers quickly after convulsions, and there are no abnormal neurological signs.
4. If the child has a history of febrile convulsions or a family history of the condition, the convulsions usually occur only once and do not recur after the fever subsides.
5. The age range is between 6 months and 5 years.
6. During the interictal period, the electroencephalogram (EEG) is normal.
The diagnosis of epilepsy is complex and primarily based on medical history: convulsions are often accompanied by loss of consciousness. Second, an EEG examination: an interictal EEG can achieve a positive rate of over 50%. If repeated testing is performed, with appropriate use of provocation tests such as hyperventilation, photic stimulation, sleep, and medication, the abnormal rate can increase to 90%. Recently developed long-term EEG monitoring and video recording can further improve the positive rate. The main types of epileptic waves include spikes, sharp waves, spike-and-slow-wave complexes, high-amplitude dysrhythmias, and other paroxysmal rhythmic waves. Finally, differential diagnosis and etiological analysis must also be conducted.