What You Should Know About Fever Fits

Learn more about fever fits in children and how to handle them.

What you should know about fever fits

Fever fits are also known as febrile convulsions or febrile seizures. Witnessing these fits can be extremely scary, especially for parents of young children. But it is surprising to know that these fever fits are considered as common medical conditions.

Causes

Children from 0 to 6 years old, no matter how healthy they are, may have fever fits. Fever fits aren’t really caused by a specific disease but by extremely high fever. Because of the high fever, normal brain activity is disrupted and nerve cells give off "mixed" signals. This results to extreme changes in the body and in turn causes fever fits.

What happens?

During the fits, a child’s body may become extremely floppy or stiff; may have difficulty breathing; can jerk or twitch endlessly, or lose awareness or consciousness. In other times, foaming mouth and rolling eyes can be seen as well.

What to do?

Children experiencing fever fits should be rolled on to their sides and moved away from any harmful objects. Restraints are not needed. Their head must be gently cradled or placed on a pillow to prevent head injury. Contrary to what other people think, it is not necessary to shove a spoon inside the child’s mouth.

Fever fits, at their worst, can be like something out of a horror movie. How ever terrifying, parents are encouraged to stay calm and to stay with their children. Noting the starting and ending time of the seizure is important as well.

Facts

Children do not suffer from any kind of pain during fever fits and epilepsy medicine isn’t required. Having these fits doesn’t really mean that the child would have epilepsy in later years. These fits are usually outgrown by children as soon as they turn 6 years old.

Parents should not be too concerned about fever fits as it does not cause any type of development delay or brain damage. However, a visit to the doctor is encouraged after each fever fit.

When to seek assistance

This type of condition does not really require medical treatment. Immediate medical attention is only recommended if:

Child’s first fever fit

Head injury is sustained

Fever fit takes longer than 5 minutes

Fever fit occurred underwater

Parents are unsure about the child’s condition

Prevention

To avoid fever fits from happening to children, fever should be immediately controlled. Safe dosage of fever medicines, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, should be given. To keep the fever down, place a moist washcloth on the child’s forehead. Giving plenty of water and fruits is important as well as this maintains hydration level of the child’s body.

Has your child previously suffered from fever fits? Tell us what you did during the event by leaving a comment below. Know more about this condition by watching the video below: