These points should be aware of parents with febrile seizures
Children suffer relatively often fever, and often this reaches alarming heights. A particularly frightening experience for parents, so – called febrile convulsions, the concern, according to the professional Association of child and youth doctors (BVKJ), approximately two to five percent of the children at least once. Typically Occur between the ages of six months and five years. How parents respond to it properly, explains Dr. Ulrich Fegeler in a recent press release of the BVKJ.
According to Dr. Fegeler, a febrile seizure usually lasts only seconds to minutes. Children affected by twisting of the eyes, lose consciousness, and stretch the whole body, to twitch or start, your body relaxes, so the children and youth doctor. Your skin color will pale and the area around the lips may turn blue. “Watching the parents of such a seizure for the first Time, he can act very threatening,” stressed the expert. Nevertheless, it is important to keep calm and to immediately telephone the emergency number 112. In addition, the expert has some more tips to note what measures and urgent.
Usually cramps are at risk of Fever no health consequences
The BVKJ,-the expert explained that it is usually so-called simple febrile convulsions occur in young children between the ages of six months and five years. The febrile seizure lasts usually only a few seconds up to a maximum of 15 minutes, and after one to two hours have recovered a child in, as a rule, completely from the event. Of such febrile seizures, according to Dr. Fegeler for the small patients without health or other consequences.
Complicated Febrile Convulsions
In contrast, so-called complex febrile seizures, which are much less common, and in children under six months of age or in children aged over five years can occur. The spasms often take longer than 15 minutes, and Sufferers are at an increased risk of other health problems.
Causes of febrile convulsions
Only above a body temperature of 38 degrees Celsius fever, cramps, and the speed of the temperature rise seem threatening, according to the BVKJ to play when they Occur. Sometimes the spasms were recorded, however, and the fever waste. As a cause of simple febrile convulsions, especially virus are call-related gastrointestinal infections or infections of the upper respiratory tract. However, it could be “the real flu (Influenza), or the so-called 3-day fever (Human herpes virus type 6)” to febrile seizures.
Only very rarely a serious disease, the cause
Very rare according to the experts, fever, cramping for up to 24 hours after the first or second six-fold vaccination as well as after the first measles-Mumps-rubella vaccine (after approximately 8 to 14 days). In addition, febrile seizures can occur in some families more frequently, which speak for a genetic predisposition. Only in extremely rare cases a more serious condition such as a brain put inflammation of the skin behind the febrile seizures. “In two out of three children in the febrile seizure remains a unique event,” said Dr. Fegeler.
Emergency medication and their use
In particular, if febrile seizures in the family are known, it may be advisable for the parents to have a emergency drug to give and to explain to you its use, says Dr. Fegeler. However, the parents should be explained that an early reduction of Fever reduces the recurrence risk for another febrile seizure. This point, it is important to discuss in detail, to a forced avoid like measuring the body temperature, and a”.” with antipyretic preparations. The seizure is over, it is mandatory to bring the child into the recovery position so that saliva and possibly vomit, not the airway block can. “You must not shake the child,” the haunting warning from Dr. Fegeler.
Always medical checks required
In view of the risk of serious diseases a child must be examined after a febrile seizure is always by a physician, and, in principle, a child should be treated up to the age of about one and a half years after the first occurrence of a febrile convulsion stationary, emphasizes the expert. Important factors for the medical assessment of how long the seizure lasted and which body affected parts, and in which order. (fp)