Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Aug 23;3(4):e12769.
doi: 10.1002/emp2.12769. eCollection 2022 Aug.

Febrile seizures: A review

Wesley Eilbert  1 , Chuck Chan  1
Affiliations
Review

Febrile seizures: A review

Wesley Eilbert et al. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open. .

Abstract

Febrile seizures are common, occurring in up to 5% of children in the United States. Frequently perceived by caregivers as a life-threatening event, febrile seizures are a common cause of emergency department visits. The concern for permanent neurologic sequelae and future epilepsy after febrile seizures has resulted in a significant amount of research on these topics. The development of childhood vaccines over the past several decades has led to a significant reduction in childhood bacterial meningitis. This in turn has led to a dramatic change in the evaluation and treatment of febrile seizures. In this review, the different types of febrile seizures as well as the evaluation and prognosis of each are discussed.

Keywords: complex febrile seizure; febrile seizure; febrile status epilepticus; simple febrile seizure.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

We have no conflicts of interest to report.

References

    1. Randel A. AAP updates guidelines for evaluating simple febrile seizures in children. Am Fam Physician. 2011;83(11):1348–1350.
    1. Subcommittee on Febrile Seizures: American Academy of Pediatrics, Subcommittee on Febrile Seizures: American Academy of Pediatrics. Neurodiagnostic evaluation of the child with a simple febrile seizure. Pediatrics. 2011;127(2):389–394. - PubMed
    1. Kanemura H, Sano F, Mizorogi S, et al. Parental thoughts and actions regarding their child's first febrile seizure. Pediatr Int. 2013;55(3):315–319. - PubMed
    1. Patel N, Ram D, Swiderska N, et al. Febrile seizures. BMJ. 2015;351:h4240. - PubMed
    1. Hackett R, Hackett L, Bhakta P. Febrile seizures in a south Indian district: incidence and associations. Dev Med Child Neurol. 1997;39(6):380–384. - PubMed