simple febrile seizures

[kalaiselvi]

hello sir.. my nephew is having simple febrile seizures since the age of 6months and now he is 6 years old. his last episode was last october (2006). now he looks hyperactive and always being sturborn in everything.we r jus wondering whether this changes are becos of the medicine or is there any damage to his brain? will simple febrile seizure cause damage to brain?
kindly pls reply me sir... thank u...

[Quixotic1]

If the seizures have continued until the age of six years old, your nephew likely has true epilepsy - that is a true seizure disorder.  It is no longer simple febrile seizures.  Children with seizures certainly can have more attention and behavioral problems.  It's impossible for us to tell if it is due to the underlying brain malfunction or side effects of the medication.  Both are possible.  A neurologist specializing in childhood epilepsy would be best to try to help this problem.

Has your nephew had a recent EEG?

Simple febrile seizures do not occur because of an abnormality in the brain.  They occur in infants up to about 5 years,  The more seizures they have, (and the later the seizures occur after about 4 years of age the more likely it is that they actually have an underlying seizure disorder.  

Febrile seizures occur because a small child's brain is not yet mature and may react with a "fit" when the body temperature rises very quickly.(Pediatric neurologists often refer to very young children's brains as "twitchy")  Also, it is not how high the fever goes, but how quickly it moves upward.  About 1 in 25 children worldwide will have a simple febrile seizure.  These are usually less than a minute long (though it seems much longer to the parents watching).  By the time the seizure is over and the temperature is measured it will be reaching it's highest point.  Thus, a parent cannot prevent febrile seizures.  Anticonvulsant medications are of dubious effectiveness in simple, febrile seizures and generally not recommended.  

Less than 5% of children who suffer febrile seizures will go on to have a true seizure disorder.  The febrile sezures do not cause brain damage.  Rather, the brain which already has a problem will be more likely to have a seizure disorder later in life and often with a fever.  Children with a family history of epilepsy or with neurological problems are more likely to have a seizure disorder after having febrile seizures when they are little.

I'm sorry I couldn't answer your primary question, but maybe this information has been of help.  I am a pediatrician and this is a problem I studied and treated many hundreds of times.  Best wishes, Quix