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Febrile Seizures in Children

Department of Paediatrics and Adult and Paediatric Epilepsy Programme, American University of Beirut, Medical Centre, Lebanon; E-mail: mamikati{at}aub.edu.lb

EXTRACT

Febrile seizures are seizures that occur between the age of 3 months and 5 years, with a temperature of 38 °C or higher, and which are not the result of central nervous system infection or any metabolic imbalance. They are either simple (referred to as typical) or complex (atypical):

• A simple febrile seizure is a primary generalized, usually tonic-clonic attack, associated with fever, lasting no more than 15 min, and not recurring within a 24-h period.
  
• Complex febrile seizures, on the other hand, are more prolonged, focal, and/or recur within 24 hours (Baumann & Duffner 2000).
  

Between 2 and 5% of neurologically healthy infants and children experience at least one, usually simple, febrile seizure.

CLINICAL COURSE AND LONG-TERM PROGNOSIS

The risk of recurrence

The only definite risk associated with simple febrile seizures is recurrence. This occurs in 30% of those experiencing a first episode, in 50% after two ...

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