YOUR CHILD’S HEALTH CARE/DISORDERS OF THE BRAIN AND SPINAL CORD: CONVULSIONS
Convulsions are also known as fits, epileptic attacks or seizures. They are states of altered consciousness which can vary in severity. About 1 in 100 people have a seizure of some kind during their lifetime, and about half of these occur during childhood.
Febrile convulsions (seizures which occur due to fever) are relatively common, occurring in approximately 4% of children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years. The majority of these children will only ever have one fit; most will occur while the child is less than 3 years old. Those children who have their first febrile convulsion before the age of 1 year have a higher risk of having recurrent febrile convulsions. This type of convulsion tends to run in families, and to affect boys more often than girls. Even though it can be very frightening to see your child having a febrile convulsion, remember that children do not die from this, nor do they suffer long-term consequences or brain damage.
Convulsions are due to sudden, abnormal electrical activity in the brain. There are many causes for convulsions which do not occur in relation to fever; the most common is scarring of brain tissue which may occur after head injury. Convulsions in some children may be triggered off by flashing lights, such as a strobe light, or looking at patterns on a screen. There is usually a family tendency towards having convulsions.
Febrile convulsions occur as a direct result of a high fever which may accompany an infection. For reasons that are unclear, the rapid rise in temperature causes an abnormal electrical discharge in the brain, which results in the seizure.
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