Febrile Seizures in children: a comprehensive review of diagnosis, management, and prognosis

Abstract

This Febrile seizure (FC) can be defined as a seizure in children aged between 6 and 60 months, with fever and who do not have intracranial infection, metabolic disorders or a previous history of afebrile seizure. It is the main cause of seizures in children and at least 4% of children in South America will develop it. This literature review searched for studies in the PubMed, Scielo and LILACS databases, using the descriptors "Febrile Seizures" and "febrile convulsion". 1902 studies were obtained, of which 09 were selected because they best addressed the chosen topic and were published in English or Portuguese. A febrile seizure can occur at any time during a febrile illness, but it usually occurs when the child reaches a temperature of over 38ºC. They are classified according to their duration, with those lasting less than 10-15 minutes being considered simple and those lasting longer being considered complex, which are more likely to recur and require hospitalization and the use of medication to control the seizures. The diagnosis is essentially clinical, but laboratory tests should be carried out to determine the cause of the fever and monitor the patient. In addition, imaging tests and electroencephalography should only be carried out in cases of neuronal involvement, which is rare. CF is a very common condition among children and is usually benign, but it causes great anxiety among the caregivers of affected children, and it is the doctor's role to reassure them and clearly explain the good prognosis.