title: Febrile seizures.
abstract: Febrile seizures are the most common form of childhood seizures occurring in 2 to 5% of children in the United States. Most febrile seizures are considered simple, although those with focal onset, prolonged duration or that occur more than once within the same febrile illness are considered complex. Risk factors for a first febrile seizure, recurrence of febrile seizures and development of future epilepsy are identifiable and varied. Children with febrile seizures encounter little risk of mortality and morbidity and have no association with any detectable brain damage. Recurrence is possible, but only a small minority will go on to develop epilepsy. Although anti-epileptic drugs can prevent recurrent febrile seizures, they do not alter the risk of subsequent epilepsy. This has led to a changing view of how we approach the treatment of these common and largely benign seizures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Dehradun 248140.
authors.forename: Alok
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hemal
authors.forename: B P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Kalra
authors.forename: Veena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gupta
mesh_terms: D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors; D003294:Seizures, Febrile / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants