Why does febrile seizures cause fever?

A febrile seizure is a convulsion associated with fever in a young child. The infection or other illness causes the temperature rise; the seizure is the nervous system's response to that fever, not its cause. Fever is a very common presentation of Febrile Seizures. A seizure can be frightening to watch: a child may stiffen, jerk, lose awareness, or roll their eyes, and may be sleepy afterwards. A clinician needs to assess the child and look for the source of the fever.

Stay with your child and place them on their side on a safe, flat surface. Move hard objects away and loosen tight clothing around the neck. Time the seizure if you can. Do not hold them down, put anything in their mouth, or give food, drink, or medicine until they are fully awake. After the movements stop, keep observing breathing and responsiveness. Arrange medical assessment after a first febrile seizure, even when the child seems to recover.

Call emergency services if the seizure lasts longer than a few minutes, breathing is difficult, the child turns blue or grey, another seizure follows without full recovery, or the child does not wake as expected. Seek urgent care for a stiff neck, a rash that does not fade when pressed, persistent vomiting, or severe lethargy. A child under six months with fever also needs urgent clinical advice.

Ask what may have caused the fever, whether your child needs tests, and what recovery should look like. Ask for a written plan explaining when to use fever-relief medicine, who to call if another seizure happens, and which features require emergency help.