CLINICAL FEATURES AND MANAGEMENT OF FEBRILE SEIZURES IN PEDIATRICS

Abstract

A febrile seizure (FS) may be defined as an event in infancy or childhood, mostly occurring between six months and five years of age.  It is accompanied by fever but without signs of intracranial infection. These are not regarded as a type of epilepsy. Moreover, they are an age-dependent phenomenon which occurs in about 2 - 4 % of children. FS can lead to extreme fear in parents, even if they are generally harmless for children, which makes it important to manage parental anxiety in the most careful manner. This review focuses on the management of FS in the paediatric age. Most children with FS have high rate of prediction while few develop long-term health issues as shown by an analysis of the literature. Its diagnosis is clinical. Intracranial infections are important to exclude, particularly after a complex FS. Symptom control and treating the cause of the fever are elements of its management. It is crucial to improve the knowledge of paediatricians and neurologists on FS management due to the improper use of diagnostic tests and treatments and to standardize the diagnostic and therapeutic work-up.