Benilde Febrile Convulsions

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VISIONA premier university in historic

Cavite recognized forexcellence in the developmentof morally upright and globally

competitive individuals.

Republic of the Philippines

CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY

Don Severino Delas Alas Campus

Indang, Cavite

MISSIONCavite State University shall provide

excellent, equitable and relevanteducational opportunities in the arts,

science and technology throughquality instruction and relevant

research and development activities.It shall produce professional, skilledand morally upright individuals for

global competitiveness.

College of Nursing

Benilde Febrile Convulsions

Secondary to Systemic ViralInfection

Presented by:

Jenivic E. Puedan BSN 3-1

Presented to:

Mr. Rolly Antonio, RN, MAN


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In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement in NURS 60for the Degree Bachelor of Science in

Nursing

INTRODUCTION

A febrile convulsion is defined as seizure occurring in a child aged six months to five yearsprecipitated by fever arising from infection outside the nervous system. Fever is the single

most chief complaint in 4050% of children. Febrile convulsions occur in 24% of children

under the age of five years and these are the commonest cause of convulsions under five years

of age. Simple febrile convulsions last for less than 15 minutes, are generalized, and do not

recur in 24 hour period. Focal, multiple and prolonged febrile convulsions are labelled as

complex. Febrile seizures are slightly more common in boys. There is a positive family history

of febrile convulsions in up to 30% of cases. The median age of occurrence is 1822 months

Febrile Convulsions

Febrile convulsions (a fit or seizure caused by a fever) are caused by a sudden change in

your child's body temperature, usually associated with a fever (temperature above

38C). A high temperature is a sign of infection somewhere in the body and is often

caused by a virus or bacteria. A high fever does not necessarily mean your child has a

serious illness. Fever is not known to cause damage to the brain or other organs.

Most children with fever suffer only minor discomfort, however 1 in 30 will have a

febrile convulsion at one time or another. This usually happens between the ages of 6

months and 6 years. Febrile convulsions are not harmful to your child and do not causes

brain damage. They are, however, quite upsetting to parents to witness.

Most children with febrile convulsions only ever have one fit. Some children

will have one or more seizures, usually during illnesses which cause a fever. There is no

increased risk of epilepsy in children who have febrile convulsions.

Signs and symptoms

During a febrile convulsion:

o Your child usually loses consciousness.

o Their muscles may stiffen or jerk.

o Your child may go red or blue in the face.


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o The convulsion may last for several minutes.

o Then the movements stop, and the child regains consciousness but remains

sleepy or irritated afterwards.

Treatment during a convulsion

There is nothing you can do to make the convulsion stop.

o The most important thing is to stay calm - don't panic.

o Place your child on a soft surface, lying on his or her side or back.

o

Do not restrain your child.o Do not put anything in their mouth, including your fingers.Your child will not

choke or swallow their tongue.

o Try to watch exactly what happens, so that you can describe it later.

o Time how long the convulsion lasts.

o Do not put a child who is having a convulsion in the bath.

Call an ambulance on 000 if:

o The convulsion lasts more than 5 minutes.

o Your child does not wake up when the convulsion stops.

o If your child looks very sick when the convulsion stops.

If the convulsion stops in less than 5 minutes:

o You should see your family doctor as soon as possible.

o And your child was very unwell before the convulsion then you should take them

to see a doctor immediately.

It may be OK to take the child in your own car - only do this if there are 2 adults(one todrive and one to look after the child). Drive very carefully. A few minutes longer will not

make any important difference.

Fever care


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Since a fever is the body's natural response to infection, it is not always necessary to

reduce a fever. Treatment of a fever with paracetamol or ibuprofen does not prevent a

febrile convulsion. However, if your child is very uncomfortable, you can follow the

simple steps found on theFever in children fact sheet.

Care after the convulsion

o Occasionally children who have long convulsions need to be watched in hospital

for a while afterwards. This is usually to work out the cause of the fever and

watch the course of your child's illness.

o Your child may be a little cranky for a day or so, but this will pass.

o Resume your usual routines.

o Put your child to sleep at the usual time, in his or her own bed. Don't worryabout whether you will hear a convulsion; a bed or cot is a safe place for a

convulsion.

Follow up

o Most children who have febrile convulsions do not have any long term health

problems. They are normally healthy and grow out of them by the age of 6.

o If your child has repeated long convulsions it may be of benefit to visit a general

pediatrician - children's doctor. Discuss this with your local doctor or emergency

department.

Key points to remember

o 1 in 30 children have a febrile convulsion at one time or another, usually

between the ages of 6 months and 6 years.

o Nothing can be done to prevent the convulsion from occurring, remain calm and

try not to panic.o Putting a child in a bath (to lower their temperature) during a convulsion is

dangerous.

o Febrile convulsions will not cause brain damage. Even very long convulsions

lasting an hour or more almost never cause harm.
http://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Fever_in_childrenhttp://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Fever_in_children


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o If the convulsion lasts more than 5 minutes call an ambulance, otherwise make an

appointment with your family doctor.

o If you are worried for any other reason, please see your family doctor.

Long-Term Intellectual and Behavioral Outcomes of

Children with Febrile Convulsions

Christopher M. Verity, F.R.C.P.C.H., Rosemary Greenwood, M.Sc., and Jean Golding, Ph.D.

N Engl J Med 1998; 338:1723-1728June 11, 1998DOI: 10.1056/NEJM199806113382403

ARTICLE

Many parents think that their child is dying when he or she has a febrile convulsion, and they are

concerned that epilepsy or mental retardation may result. Febrile convulsions are common, occurring in

2 to 4 percent of children at least once before five years of age. Mental retardation has been reported in

up to 22 percent of children with febrile convulsions who were hospitalized or seen in specialized clinics.

In contrast, the National Collaborative Perinatal Project, a large, prospective American study thatenrolled approximately 54,000 pregnant women between 1959 and 1966 and followed their children,

found that children who had febrile convulsions did not differ in intelligence from their normal seizure-

free siblings at seven years of age.

A prospective British study, the Child Health and Education Study, enrolled a cohort of over 16,000

children born in one week in April 1970. We have previously reported on the outcome at five years of

the children in the cohort who had febrile convulsions. At the age of 10, the children underwent a more

comprehensive assessment of intellect and behavior. We report the results of this assessment in this

article.

Statistical Analysis

The study of febrile convulsions was a small part of the research focused on this large cohort. Because

of difficulty in obtaining funding, the statistical analyses of the 10-year follow-up data were not

completed until 1997. Subjects were not followed after the age of 10.
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/338/24/http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/338/24/


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All statistical tests were two-tailed, and P values of less than 0.05 were considered to indicate statistical

significance. Categorical outcome variables were compared with the chi-square test. When the

numbers of subjects were very small, Fisher's exact test was used in two-by-two tables. Non-categorical

variables were compared with the MannWhitney test.

Reference:

http://www.ayubmed.edu.pk/JAMC/PAST/14-4/Tahir.htm

http://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Febrile_Convulsions/

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199806113382403#t=articleBackground
http://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Febrile_Convulsions/http://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Febrile_Convulsions/

Benilde Febrile Convulsions

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