How to Treat Febrile Seizures in Child
When your child has a febrile seizure, of course, as a parent, you will feel worried and panicked. This condition, which is often thought to be epilepsy, is actually common in infants and toddlers, but if not treated immediately it can be dangerous. Therefore, it is important for you to understand how to treat febrile seizures in child.
Febrile seizures in children occur due to an increase in body temperature or a high fever. Generally, high fever in children is caused by a viral or bacterial infection. Usually, febrile seizures in children can be experienced when the child is 6 months to 5 years old.
Causes of Febrile Seizure in Child
Febrile seizures in children are closely related to conditions that can cause children to have a high fever, for example because the child is infected with viruses or bacteria and conditions after the vaccine. However, it does not mean that the vaccine is the cause of febrile seizures in children, but because the child has a high fever after vaccination.
Some of the risk factors that can cause febrile seizures in children are as follows:
- Family members have a history of febrile seizures.
- Previously, the child had a history of febrile seizures lasting more than 15 minutes.
- A febrile seizure occurs when a child's body temperature is below 40 degrees.
- Febrile seizures in children occur for the first time before the child is 18 months old.
Symptoms of Febrile Seizure in Child
Some of the signs and symptoms shown when a child has a febrile seizure are as follows:
- The child has a high fever with a body temperature of more than 38 degrees Celsius.
- The child's hands and feet jerked.
- The child's eyes rolled upwards.
- The child is unconscious or asleep after the seizure is over.
Types of Febrile Seizures
Febrile seizures in children based on the duration of the seizures can be divided into two types, namely:
1. Simple febrile seizure
Simple febrile seizures occur throughout the body and last from a few seconds to less than 15 minutes. Simple febrile seizures do not recur within 24 hours.
2. Complex febrile seizures
Usually complex febrile seizures only occur in one part of the body, for example in the right hand and foot. Complex febrile seizures last more than 15 minutes and may recur over a 24-hour period.
How to Treat Febrile Seizures in Child
If your child has a high fever and has a history of febrile seizures, try giving a fever reducer such as paracetamol or ibuprofen to lower his body temperature. In addition, you can also give a cold compress to relieve the fever.
Also read articles about: How to Treat Fever in Children.
If your child has recurrent febrile seizures, you can use anti-seizure medication, but they must be used as directed by the doctor. Usually to treat febrile seizures in children, doctors prescribe the medicine diazepam in the form of syrup or tablets.
The use of anti-seizure medication for children must be adjusted to the age and weight of the child. Therefore, regardless of the type of anti-seizure medication used, you must first consult with your doctor so that the dosage of the medicine is safe and in accordance with the child's condition.
If your child has a febrile seizure while at home, you can do the following things to treat it:
- When your child has a seizure, do not hold the movement, but place your child on a flat surface, such as on a bed or carpet on the floor.
- During your child's seizure or after the seizure, you should not put anything in his mouth.
- After your child has a seizure, position your child's body in a sideways position, not supine. This is important to prevent your child's tongue from blocking the airway.
- Calculate the duration of your child's febrile seizures. If the seizure lasts for more than 5 minutes or occurs more than 1 time in 24 hours, immediately take your child to the nearest hospital.
When your child has a febrile seizure, try not to panic and provide first aid for your child while monitoring his condition. If your child's condition is stable and doesn't recur within 24 hours of the first febrile seizure, this is most likely harmless.
However, if your child's febrile seizures recur frequently, occur more than 2 times, or the seizures last longer than 5 minutes, then immediately take your child to the doctor or hospital so that your child gets the right treatment.
Thus the explanation that we can write about how to treat febrile seizures in child, hopefully the explanation above can be useful.
