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Neurology (Expert Forum)
Need explanation of spiking a fever during a seizure
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Need explanation of spiking a fever during a seizure
by adwalter, Jan 30, 2004 12:00AM
My daughter, who is 16, has complex partial seizures. She had a tonic clonic a couple of years ago during testing and only came out of it after being medicated. Around Thanksgiving she had a seizure, which I believe was the beginning of a tonic clonic. She now has the VNS so I used her magnet which I believe helped stop the seizure. It was very different than her complex partial seizures in that she was shaking, her aura was different (she usually sees lights but this time she said the room was spinning around) and during the five minutes of this happening, she spiked a fever of 102.5. Her neuro says that the only time you spike a fever due to a seizure is during a tonic clonic and yet the neuro is not overly concerned about this seizure or admitting that it was not a complex partial. I wanted another sleep-deprived EEG done but the neuro said that it would not change her course of action at this time as far as medication. Can you please give me your opinion based on this information, explain the fever spike since she did not have one prior to the seizure, and give your opinion as to whether or not another EEG would be helpful at this time. Thank you in advance for your help.
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-Neuro-M.D.-CS, Feb 04, 2004 12:00AM
A typical complex partial seizure should not result in a fever. However if a seizure has a significant amount of muscle activity or jerking then a fever can occur. Another thought could be that the seizure was secondary to a febrile illness which was just presenting itself. However, you should have seen signs of this after the seizure.
Regarding the change in her seizure, you did not state how recent the VNS was placed. If it was placed recently, the new seizure type could be secondary to either the medication or VNS partially preventing her typical seizure. If this was an isolated seizure then there may not be a need to repeat the EEG. However, if the quality of her seizures has continued to be different then re-investigating would be reasonable.
Lastly, if she is still having seizures despite medication and VNS you may want to explore other surgical options. For this I would recommend that you have a consultation at a large epilepsy surgery center, such as the Cleveland Clinic, for an opinion. Good luck.
Regarding the change in her seizure, you did not state how recent the VNS was placed. If it was placed recently, the new seizure type could be secondary to either the medication or VNS partially preventing her typical seizure. If this was an isolated seizure then there may not be a need to repeat the EEG. However, if the quality of her seizures has continued to be different then re-investigating would be reasonable.
Lastly, if she is still having seizures despite medication and VNS you may want to explore other surgical options. For this I would recommend that you have a consultation at a large epilepsy surgery center, such as the Cleveland Clinic, for an opinion. Good luck.
