Febrile Seizure Essay

Febrile seizures are considered a separate disease classification from epilepsy, and approached with a unique set of diagnostic and treatment criteria. They are common, occurring in 2-5% of children age 6 months to 5 years and of note for this particular case, occur in 5-10% of Indian children. (Chung, 2014). With regard to incidence, Change (2014) states that there are two peak seasons: November-January as a result of increased prevalence of viral upper respiratory illness, and June-August, related to increased viral gastrointestinal illness. Most febrile seizures are considered simple seizures, but some may display complex characteristics (Khair & Elmagrabi, 2015). The primary morbidity associated with febrile seizure is recurrence and there is no evidence that there is significant increased risk for epilepsy or neurologic deficit if the child is not presenting with complex febrile seizure or with concomitant neurodevelopmental disorder (Chung, 2014). Lee, Byeon, Kim, Eun, & Eun state:
Febrile seizures are common and mostly benign. However, careful observation is needed, particularly for prediction of subsequent epileptic episodes in patients with frequent febrile seizures with known risk factors, such as developmental delay, history of preterm birth,
The World Health Organization (2012) recommends against the use of abortive medications excluding in children with recurrent seizures lasting longer than 3 minutes and against prophylactic medications excluding certain situations in which a child has 3 or more febrile seizures in 6 months. According to the most current research, there would be no indication to provide seizure aborting medications for the child discussed in this case (Chung, 2014). This was done by the hospital pediatric resident at the recommendation of the pediatric neurologist, and supported by the attending