Febrile Seizures

Hi guys!!!, thanks for stopping by again today. So, it’s Thursday! Can’t believe the week has gone so fast. Our Thursdays, we call freestyle Thursdays, it’s where we talk about DIYs, Fashion, Medical findings, any intriguing topic as they come. Unlike other days, we won’t be having a recurring theme per se. Here’s a quick breakdown of our days:

Monday - Making Money (entrepreneurship)

Tuesday - Talking Technology

Wednesday - Weekly Series

Thursday - Freestyle Thursdays

Friday - Food day

Saturday - Events (Parties)

Sunday - Weekly review of things that happened in our nation

FEBRILE SEIZURES

On to today’s topic. It’s the time of the year where children are falling ill, catching common cold and leading to fevers. If the illness/sickness gets to a child and he/she happens to have a very high fever, it could lead to febrile seizures in 20% of children.

Febrile seizures are seizures or convulsions that occur in young children and are triggered by fever.  Young children between the ages of about 6 months and 5 years old are the most likely to experience febrile seizures.

Growing up we never experienced this or saw anyone do, in fact, half of Mosterly just witnessed a child go through this for the first time yesterday. So we looked into it, and made some research and findings, came up with the following:

WHEN TO CALL A DOCTOR (OR RUN TO THE CLINIC)

Seek medical attention if:

• The child stops breathing or is turning pale.
• This is the child's first seizure.
• Seizure lasts more than ten minutes or is accompanied by breathing problems.
• The child is not awake and alert after seizure

WHAT TO DO WHEN SEIZURE HAPPENS

• First thing is to remain calm (I know it’s easier said than done) but if you aren’t you let people (usually non-professionals) who happen to be around take control in the name of them helping you. Whereas,they are guessing themselves and don’t know what to do.
• Place the child on the floor or a small mat and clear away objects that are close.
• Don't put anything in the child's mouth.
• Move the child onto his/her side, and clear out his/her mouth if he/she vomits.
• Don't try to hold the child down or restrain his/her movements.
• Loosen tight or restrictive clothing.
• Do not leave the child unattended.
• Take note of how long the seizure takes, so you can report to your doctor afterwards.
• If the child has a fever, acetaminophen (such as Paracetamol) may be given.

COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS

• Putting spoon in child’s mouth. I understand this is done to help aid breathing, but the child can clench their teeth and hurt the gum
• Onions and salt, I don’t understand the reason for these two at all. Maybe because I’m not a doctor. Or perhaps it’s because of the benefits of onions.
• Using a wet towel to bring down the temperature of the child:I was surprised to see that this didn’t come up during my research. It turns out, that only reduces the temperature of the child but not necessarily the seizure.

ARE FEBRILE SEIZURES HARMFUL?

The vast majority of febrile seizures are short and do not cause any long-term damage.  During a seizure, there is a small chance that the child may be injured by falling or may choke on food or saliva in the mouth.  Using proper first aid for seizures can help avoid these hazards.

There is no evidence that short febrile seizures cause brain damage.  Large studies have found that even children with prolonged febrile seizures have normal school achievement and perform as well on intellectual tests as their siblings who do not have seizures.  Even when the seizures last a long time, most children recover completely.

Sources: mayoclinic.org; emedicinehealth.com; WebMd; NINDS