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What Is A Febrile Fit? Simple febrile fits commonly occur in children between 6 months to 6 years old. There may be a history of such fits in the family. Fits usually occur with high fevers, especially when the temperature reaches 38.5ºC or more. In a fit, the child's arms and legs will jerk involuntarily; up-rolling of the eyes and teeth clenching are common signs. The child may also pass motion and/or urine during a fit. Fits usually last a few minutes, with some as long as 15 minutes. A child will commonly feel sleepy after a fit. There is a 30% chance that the child will have another fit, especially if the body temperature maintains at 38.5ºC and above. The actual cause of febrile fits has not been clearly established but there may be a background family history associated with it. Simple febrile fits do not cause brain damage, nor do they cause delay in child's development. What To Do When Your Child Has A Febrile Fit? Stay calm, DO NOT PANIC! Do NOT attempt to put objects such as a spoon or even your finger into the child's mouth. This will only cause unnecessary injury to the child and yourself. Nor should you try to feed the child medication during a fit. Place the child on his side to prevent choking of secretions. Try to keep him comfortable by allowing him to lie on a flat surface. Make sure that hard or sharp objects are not in the way as they may hurt the child during the fit. Try to bring the fever down after the fit has ceased with either medication prescribed by your doctor, or sponging. However, do not feed any medication orally while your child is still drowsy. Always bring your child to the doctor if in doubt Bring the child to a doctor if : This is the first time the child has a febrile fit. The fit lasts more than 15 minutes. The child is unable to move one side of his body, such as the arms or legs, after the fit. The child is unusually irritable or drowsy after the fit. The child has injured himself during the fit, such as a head injury as result of falling off a couch. Taking Care Of A Child With A History Of Febrile Fits Monitor the child's body temperature closely every 2 - 4 hours. Feed the child medication and sponge him regularly to keep his body temperature below 38.5ºC Rectal valium may also be used when fits occur. Check with your doctor on the usage.
Febrile seizures are convulsions triggered by high fever (usually at an average of 40 degrees, or when there is a sudden rise in temperature). It usually takes place in children between six months and six years old. Each seizure can last from one to 10 mins without any treatment. As these seizures are generally harmless, medical professionals do not recommend antiseizure medication as a form of prevention for future seizure (for children who have had such seizures). To prevent such seizures from occurring, one could try: - Reducing the fever as quickly as possible - Keep the temperature down by placing moist washcloth over child’s forehead - Give plenty of water and fruits (this is to maintain hydration level) For more information: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/febrile_seizures/detail_febrile_seizures.htm http://sg.theasianparent.com/what-you-should-know-about-fever-fits/
My elder child had a febrile fit before when he was 9mo. It happened in middle of the night. It was a scary experience. I went to read about it. Febrile fits happened when the temp rise up too quickly. The body goes into a seizure. Bring to see a doctor immediately after a fit. do not attempt to stuff anything into the mouth. Once ur child has a febrile seziure, there is a likely chance for them to have it again during the high fever peaks. Always watch the temp and try to bring it down quickly
My elder brother had febrile fits every month until he was 29 years old and passed away. For his case, it was due to medical condition, epilepsy. For normal child, febrile fit will occur if fever is too high. If a child is prone to febrile fit, please be very alert everytime when he/she is having fever. Try all means to keep the fever lower e.g. feed medicines, cold bath and etc.