Seizures with fever and without fever

    
      Re: Seizures with fever and without fever
    


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Posted by ccf neuro M.D.* on November 08, 1997 at 20:45:56:

In Reply to: Seizures with fever and without fever posted by Tomas on October 17, 1997 at 23:25:06:
  Hi  Doctors of MEDHELP !
  I'm the mother of TOMAS , a 4 years old boy , who begans with seizures when he was 1 year old . He wasn't medicated for this seizures because the doctor said that it was provocated by fever. At the age of two years old , he had another seizure after that he was medicated with "Luminaletas"(phenobarbital) . In that moment we have made an EEG , an EEG sleep with normal results and also a "Polisomnography" ( I dont Know what is this) . The seizure has been generalizated , with fever and awake, with a duration of 15 minutes aprox. After this seizure the fever was increased . Last year the doctor begans to reduce the medication but he had a seizure , sleeping and without fever. Another doctor became to replace the medication from phenobarbital to Tegretol that was made gradually MRI , EEG sleep are normals . In this month he has another seizure with fever and awake .
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  The question is
  May be that the fever increase from 37 1/2 C to 41 C in a minute and had a seizure ?
  May be possible that the seizures had a duration of 15 minutes or more ?
  And if you can says us , what is your diagnostic for this boy .
  We are very confused .
  Thanks you
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Seizures are often triggered by fever. There is a form of seizures known as "febrile seizures" in which the child affected has one or two or perhaps 3 seizures in his lifetime, all connected to fever. This is an inherited problem. When seizures occur both with and without fever, as in your son's case, then you have epilepsy. Epilepsy means a tendency toward having recurrent seizures. In your son's case, since all of the seizures were generalized, it is called a generalized epilepsy. Because he has only had four seizures, he is very fortunate and has at this point an extremely mild form of epilepsy. Fevers can rise very quickly, and generalized seizures can  last 15 minutes and even longer. In general, if such a seizure goes on for more than two or three minutes, you should bring the child to the emergency room immediately, because if such seizures are allowed to continue for 30 minutes or longer, there is serious risk of permanent brain damage and even death. Phenobarbitol and Tegretol are both excellent medications for children to control generalized seizures.
Information provided on the forum is intended for general medical informational purposes only. The actual diagnosis and treatment of your son's specific medical condition should be strictly in conjunction with his treating physicians. We hope you find the information useful.