Febrile Seizure News and Research

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A febrile seizure is a convulsion that can occur when a child has a fever, usually as a result of infection. The seizure often occurs during the first day of a fever, which is defined as a temperature of 101°F (38°C) or above. In some cases, a child may not have a fever when the seizure occurs, but develops one a few hours later.

What is the incidence of COVID-19-associated febrile seizures in children?

Researchers investigated the incidence of febrile seizures among SARS-CoV-2-positive children.

2 Feb 2023

What is the prevalence of COVID-associated neurologic complications in hospitalized US children?

Researchers assessed the prevalence of neurologic complications in children hospitalized with COVID-19.

16 Aug 2022

Children hospitalized with COVID-19 commonly experience neurologic complications

Physicians at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt have found another reason to vaccinate children against COVID-19: to help reduce the likelihood of neurologic complications caused by the virus.

11 Aug 2022

Severe outcomes in hospitalized children during the Omicron BA.2-dominated fifth wave in Hong Kong

A recent study investigated the disease severity of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 infection among Hong Kong children.

28 Mar 2022

Febrile seizures in children: Key things to know

When a child has a fever, their body can ache, they are restless and they just don't feel well. While a fever is a part of our natural response to infection, the fever itself can lead to complications. One rare complication is a febrile seizure.

3 Dec 2021

Large study of COVID vaccine side effects in Sweden

Recently, researchers from Sweden reported population-based, age- and sex-specific background incidence rates of conditions that represent potential COVID-19 vaccine adverse events of special interest (AESI) in the general Swedish population with the help of registered data. This study is published on the medRxiv* preprint server.

6 Oct 2021

Febrile seizures following vaccination are self-resolving and not dangerous

New research from the University of Sydney has found the severity of febrile seizures following vaccination is no different to febrile seizures from another cause, such as from a virus, and that the majority of seizures are short-lived, self-resolving and don't require ongoing treatment.

24 Apr 2019

New insights on strategies to treat infants with seizures

New recommendations offer insights on strategies for treating infants with seizures. In an Epilepsia report, child neurologists who are members of the International League Against Epilepsy note that intervening at the time of a febrile seizure does not alter the risk for subsequent epilepsy, and there is no evidence to support the use of antiepileptic drugs for simple febrile seizures.

2 Jun 2015

Study confirms safety of two measles-containing vaccines

A 12-year study of two measles-containing vaccines, published today in Pediatrics, found that seven main adverse outcomes were unlikely after either vaccine.

5 Jan 2015

Combined MMRV vaccine slightly increases risk of febrile seizures in children

The combined measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) vaccine shows a slightly increased risk of febrile seizures in children, compared with the previously separate vaccines for MMR and varicella (chickenpox) (MMR+V), according to an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

10 Jun 2014

Prolonged febrile seizures can affect pediatric patients

A long-standing hypothesis holds that prolonged febrile (fever induced) seizures, the most common form of childhood convulsive status epilepticus, cause mesial temporal sclerosis. CSE is a single seizure, or two or more seizures between which consciousness is not regained, lasting for more than 30 minutes.

9 Dec 2013

Measles-containing vaccines administered at 12-5 months of age associated with reduced risk of fever, seizures

Children receiving measles-containing vaccines at 12-15 months of age have a lower increased risk of fever and seizures than those who receive them at 16-23 months of age, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published in JAMA Pediatrics.

15 Oct 2013

MRI, EEG may predict children’s epilepsy risk after long febrile seizures

Children who have prolonged febrile seizures are at increased risk for magnetic resonance imaging observed hippocampal injury and abnormal hippocampal and temporal development, show results from the Consequences of Prolonged Febrile Seizures in Childhood study.

13 Nov 2012

Vaccines for measles may not increase risk of febrile seizures in 4-6 year olds

Vaccines for measles were not associated with an increased risk of febrile seizures among 4-6 year olds during the six weeks after vaccination, according to a study by the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center that appears in the current issue of Pediatrics.

2 Apr 2012

Febrile seizures in children may be linked to respiratory alkalosis

New research shows that febrile seizures in children may be linked to respiratory alkalosis, indicated by elevated blood pH and low carbon dioxide levels caused by hyperventilation, and independent of the underlying infection severity.

12 Sep 2011

FDA announces approval of vaccines for 2010-2011 US influenza season

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that it has approved vaccines for the 2010-2011 influenza season in the United States.

31 Jul 2010

Combination MMRV vaccine associated with increased risk of febrile seizures

The combination vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox (MMRV) is associated with double the risk of febrile seizures for 1- to 2-year-old children compared with same-day administration of the separate vaccine for MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and the varicella (V) vaccine for chicken pox, according to a Kaiser Permanente Division of Research study appearing online in the journal Pediatrics. A febrile seizure is a brief, fever-related convulsion but it does not lead to epilepsy or seizure disorders, researchers explained.

28 Jun 2010

Many babies with simple febrile seizures can avoid spinal tap

When babies develop a fever high enough or abrupt enough to cause a seizure, frightened parents often rush them to the emergency room, where their workup frequently includes a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to rule out bacterial meningitis.

6 Jan 2009