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Benign Febrile Convulsion

 Also known as Febrile seizures area convulsions of sudden onset due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain that is caused by
fever. Fever is a condition in which body temperature is elevated above normal (generally above 100.4°F [38°C]).

Types BFC

1. Simple Febrile Convulsion


- Core temperature that increases rapidly to > 39 C.
- accounts for 70 to 75percent of febrile seizures and is one in which the affected child is age six months to five years
- has no history or evidence of neurological abnormalities
- the seizure is generalized(affects multiple parts of the brain)
- lasts less than 15 minutes
- fever is not caused by brain illness such as meningitis or encephalitis.

2. Complex Febrile Convulsion


- Temperature greater than or equal to 39 C
- Duration is 15 mins.
- Repeated convulsions occurs within 24 hours or when focal seizure activity or focal findings are present during the
postictal period.

Pathophysiology

Causes

A seizure occurs when the normal electrical patterns of the brain become disrupted.A febrile seizure is caused by fever, most
commonly a high fever that has risen quickly. The average fever temperature in which febrile seizures take place is 104°F (40°C).
Conversely,a healthy person's body temperature fluctuates between 97°F (36.1°C) and 100°F(37.8°C).
Fevers are caused in most cases by viral or bacterial infections, such as otitis media(ear infection), upper respiratory infection,
pharyngitis (throat infection), pneumonia,chickenpox, and urinary tract infection. Other conditions can induce a fever, including allergic
reactions, ingestion of toxins, teething, autoimmune disease, trauma, cancer, excessive sunexposure, or certain drugs.

Clinical Manifestation
Febrile seizures generally last between one and ten minutes. A child experiencing a febrile seizure may exhibit some or all of the following
behaviors:

 stiff body
 twitching or jerking of the extremities or face
 rolled-back eyes
 unconsciousness
 inability to talk
 problems breathing
 involuntary urination or defecation
 vomiting
 confusion, sleepiness, or irritability after the seizure

Risk factors

 family history of febrile seizures


 young age of the child (i.e. less than 18 months of age)
 seizure occurs soon after or with onset of fever
 seizure-associated fever is relatively low

Diagnostics

In the case of children under 18 months of age, a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) may be recommended to rule out meningitis because
symptoms are often lacking or subtle in children of that age. Because of the benign nature of the simple febrile seizure, tests such as
computed tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or electroencephalogram (EEG) are not usually recommended

Prognosis

The risk of complications associated with febrile seizures is very low. Some of the complicationsthat may occur are:
 biting the tongue
 choking on items that were in the mouth at the start of the seizure
 injury from falling down
 aspirating fluid or vomit into the lungs
 developing recurrent febrile seizures
 developing recurrent seizures unrelated to fever (epilepsy)
 complications related the underlying cause of the fever

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