This is an automatically translated article.
Child convulsion due to high fever is a common complication. When having a high fever convulsion, the child will lose consciousness, lack of oxygen to the brain, if the condition is prolonged, it can cause dangerous complications, especially for children with underlying epilepsy. So how dangerous is a child's febrile convulsion and does it affect the brain?
1. Is febrile convulsion in children dangerous?
Febrile convulsion is a condition that usually occurs in children between the ages of 3 months and 6 years (especially between 12-18 months) and has a fever of 38 degrees Celsius or higher.
Children with high fever convulsions will have symptoms of fever, sudden increase in body temperature, stiff body, eyes widening, hands and feet convulsing continuously, usually after 1-2 minutes, the convulsions will stop by themselves.
Not every child with a fever will have convulsions and a high fever will not necessarily cause a seizure in a child. For children with a predisposition to febrile convulsions, a high fever is more likely to lead to convulsions, even with a fever of 38°C, a convulsion may occur. It is currently estimated that 2 - 4% of children under 5 years of age have febrile seizures, meaning that most children with a fever will not have seizures.
2. Does a child with a febrile convulsion harm the brain?
When a child has a febrile convulsion, parents often worry about the risk of brain damage. In fact, children with febrile convulsions usually do not harm the brain, unless there is an accompanying encephalitis or meningitis.
When the child has symptoms of convulsion due to high fever, the EEG should not be done, but only need to be clinically monitored, it is recommended not to give the child any medicine except as directed by the doctor.
Trẻ bị sốt cao co giật cần được thăm khám với bác sĩ chuyên khoa
3. What to do when you see a child with a high fever having a convulsion?
To handle when the child has a high fever convulsion, parents should put the child on his side to the side so that the child's airway is clear, to avoid the child choking, foreign objects falling into the lungs.
Besides, it is necessary to widen the clothes and let the child wear loose clothes to lower body temperature. Children with seizures will often grind their teeth, so do not put your hands in, instead, when the seizure is over, you can put a towel in your mouth to prevent the child from having a subsequent seizure. In addition, should not gather around the child or have movements such as touching, shaking the child while having a convulsion.
When the child has stopped having a convulsion, parents can use a clean gauze pad or clean towel to wipe the child's mouth. The use of antipyretics is essential, helping children avoid the risk of convulsions caused by high fever. After that, parents need to take the child to a medical facility so that the doctor can check if the child has anything other than fever for timely treatment.
Pediatrics department at Vinmec International General Hospital is the address for receiving and examining diseases that infants and young children are susceptible to: viral fever, bacterial fever, otitis media, pneumonia in children, .... With modern equipment, sterile space, minimizing the impact as well as the risk of disease spread. Along with that is the dedication from the doctors with professional experience with pediatric patients, making the examination no longer a concern of the parents.
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