Febrile seizures: what pediatricians should know

Febrile seizures are the age-dependent and predictively favorable condition, which is observed in children under 6 years. All febrile seizures are divided into simple (2/3 of all cases), complex and febrile status. Complicated seizuresinclude attacks with focalsymptoms, prolonged and recurring throughout the day. Simple febrile seizures are short, generalized, not repeated. Simple seizures do not harm the child’s neuropsychic development, they do not transform into epilepsy, and do not need chronic prescription of anticonvulsant therapy. A child with normal development and simple febrile seizures does not need an obligatory EEG and MRI of the brain. All the patients of 18 months old or less with the first episode of febrile seizures need to be hospitalized. The risk of recurrence of seizures and their transformation into epilepsy is higher in a child with complex seizures. There is a small group of children with prolonged seizures and / or febrile status, often with neuropsychiatric developmental delay, which needs to be monitored by a neurologist and further examination. Sometimes doctor prescribes long-term anticonvulsant therapy for the children of this group. Febrile seizures can be prevented with special dosage of anticonvulsant drugs quickly reaching a therapeutic concentration in the child’s brain. Febrile seizures are not a contraindication to vaccination and revaccination, attention should be paid in case of DTP vaccination in children with repeated prolonged seizures and / or febrile status.

Conflict of interest: The author of this article confirmed the lack of conflict of interest and financial support, which should be reported.

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