What happens during a febrile seizure?
The child typically becomes stiff, loses awareness, and has jerking movements of the arms and legs, sometimes with rolled-back eyes, a brief pause in breathing, or blue lips. It usually stops within a few minutes and is followed by drowsiness. The temperature is often rising fast rather than at its highest point.
What should I do?
Place the child on their side on a safe flat surface, clear the area around them, and note the time. Do not restrain them, do not put anything in the mouth, and do not try to give medicine or water during the seizure.
Call for emergency help if the seizure lasts more than five minutes, if the child does not wake up properly afterwards, if breathing is difficult, if it affects only one side of the body, or if the child is under twelve months old.
Do febrile seizures cause epilepsy or brain damage?
Simple febrile seizures do not cause brain damage and do not affect intelligence or school performance. The risk of later epilepsy is only slightly higher than in the general population for a child with simple febrile seizures and no other risk factors.
Can they be prevented?
Fever medicines make a child more comfortable but have not been shown to reliably prevent febrile seizures, so they should be given for comfort rather than in the hope of preventing a fit. The more important step is identifying and treating the cause of the fever.
Simple and complex febrile seizures
The distinction matters because it drives everything that follows. A simple febrile seizure involves the whole body, lasts under fifteen minutes, happens once within a single feverish illness, and is followed by a return to normal. This describes the large majority, and it is the group with a reassuring outlook.
A complex febrile seizure has any one of three features: it lasts longer than fifteen minutes, it affects one side of the body more than the other, or it recurs within the same illness or within twenty-four hours. These warrant closer assessment and sometimes investigation, because the pattern is less predictable and the small risk of later epilepsy is higher.
You do not need to classify the episode yourself. Describing what you saw, and how long it lasted, gives the information needed to do it at the consultation.
Why height of fever matters less than you would expect
Many parents conclude they allowed the temperature to climb too high. That is usually not what happened. Febrile seizures tend to occur as the temperature rises rapidly, often at the very start of an illness, and frequently the seizure is the first sign the family has that the child is unwell at all.
A seizure can occur at a temperature that seems only moderately raised, and plenty of children run much higher fevers without one. The susceptibility lies in how that individual child's developing brain responds to a rapid temperature change, not in anything the family did or failed to notice.
Which children are more likely to have one
Febrile seizures are among the more common neurological events of early childhood, affecting a small but significant minority of children under five. A family history is the clearest predictor: a child with an affected parent or sibling is noticeably more likely to have one.
The other pattern is age. Onset before eighteen months, a lower temperature at the time of the seizure, and a short interval between the fever starting and the seizure all make a repeat more likely. Children who have their first episode later in the age range tend to have fewer recurrences before growing out of them.
Caring for your child during the illness afterwards
Once the seizure has passed and the child has been assessed, the focus returns to the infection that caused the fever. Offer fluids frequently in small amounts, dress the child lightly rather than wrapping them, and use paracetamol or ibuprofen at the correct weight-based dose for comfort. Do not sponge with cold water or use alcohol rubs.
Expect the child to be tired for the rest of the day. What matters over the following days is the illness itself: seek review if the fever persists beyond the expected course, if the child is drinking poorly or passing much less urine, if they become difficult to rouse, or if a rash appears that does not fade under gentle pressure.
Frequently asked questions
Will it happen again?
About a third of children who have one febrile seizure will have another, and recurrence is more likely when the first occurred before eighteen months of age or with a lower fever. Most children stop having them by around five years.
Does my child need an EEG or a scan?
Not for a typical simple febrile seizure in a well child. Further investigation is considered when the seizure was prolonged, affected one side of the body, recurred within the same illness, or when the examination raises concern.
Should I take my child to hospital after a febrile seizure?
A first febrile seizure should always be assessed the same day so the cause of the fever can be found, and any seizure in a baby under twelve months needs urgent review.
Should my child be given medicine to prevent future febrile seizures?
For the great majority, no. Daily preventive medication is not recommended for simple febrile seizures, because the episodes are harmless and the side effects of long-term treatment outweigh the benefit. In selected cases with prolonged or frequently recurring seizures, a rescue medicine to be given if a seizure lasts beyond a set number of minutes may be supplied, with training on when and how to use it.
Can my child still have their vaccinations?
Yes, and they should. Some vaccines can cause fever in the days afterwards, and a febrile seizure can follow, but the seizure carries the same good outlook as any other and the illnesses prevented are considerably more dangerous. Tell the vaccinating clinician about the history so timing and fever advice can be planned. A previous febrile seizure is not a reason to skip or delay the schedule.
How will I cope if it happens again?
Most parents describe the first episode as one of the most frightening things they have experienced, and feeling shaken afterwards is normal. Knowing the plan helps: put the child on their side, clear the space, start timing, do not put anything in the mouth, and call for help at five minutes. Many families find it useful to write these steps somewhere visible and share them with grandparents and anyone else who looks after the child.
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Book an appointment
Consultations are by appointment at Huda, Sushant Lok 2, Sector 55, Gurugram. Tell us what is worrying you and the clinic will call you back.