In medical language, 'convulsion' means 'seizure' or 'epileptic seizure' in colloquial language. First of all, it would be appropriate to clarify one issue: Just as children's fever and cough are not a disease, but a symptom of a disease; 'Convulsion' is not a disease, but a symptom. Billions of neuron cells (nerve cells) in our brain make electrical discharges in good harmony among themselves, and we move our hands, talk, think, laugh and cry in accordance with these electrical discharges. If a group of these neuron cells discharges electrically in harmony with each other but separately from the general population, which is not possible to see; However, depending on the location of the neurons, visible events such as rolling eyes, contraction in the arms or legs, tremors, drooling from the mouth, and impaired consciousness occur, which we call convulsions.
Febrile convulsions (FK) occur during the course of febrile diseases. and seizures that are not related to epilepsy but can be confused with epilepsy. When defining this, in children between the ages of 3 months and six years, when the body temperature rises; However, in the absence of an infectious disease involving the brain such as meningitis or encephalitis, seizures are defined as febrile convulsions and it is known that they can be seen in 2-4 out of 100 healthy children up to the age of six. The most common age is between 12-18 months. These ages when FCs occur are a period when brain development is rapid, and therefore, they are considered seizures specific to the developing brain.
FCs generally occur when the body temperature rises above 38 degrees, causing loss of consciousness, unresponsiveness, and loss of vision. It is accompanied by one or more movements such as shifting upwards, sudden holding of breath, cyanosis, convulsions, and trembling in the arms and legs. The seizure usually stops on its own before 3 minutes, rarely lasting longer than five minutes. According to our current knowledge, FCs do not harm the brain and do not negatively affect intelligence and school success. However, a child who has had a seizure once is likely to have a second seizure.
Why do some children have seizures when they have a fever and some do not? It is not possible to answer this question definitively. But we know that mother Children whose fathers or siblings have had FC or whose siblings have a history of FC are more likely to have seizures than other children. This suggests that genetic predisposition plays an important role.
A frequently asked question; Does my child who has FC have epilepsy? Does he need to take medication for life? No, epilepsy is a recurrent seizure that occurs at any time and without a stimulus, during fever-free periods. According to our current knowledge, simple FCs do not turn into epilepsy. It is said that in some special cases, the risk of developing epilepsy is slightly higher than the incidence of epilepsy in society. (If it occurred when the PK was below 38.5 degrees, lasted more than 15 minutes and recurred on the same day, occurred on one side of the body and the patient developed weakness after the seizure).
Any disease that causes fever, the majority of which are viral at this age. are infections; flu, ear infection, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, urinary tract infection, bronchitis, etc., and some childhood vaccinations can be the cause of FK. Seizures usually occur during periods when the fever rises rapidly and in the first days of the disease.
A child who has had a febrile seizure is likely to have a seizure again. However, it should be kept in mind that there is no rule that there will always be a seizure at the same fever level and every time there is a fever. Usually, seizure recurrence occurs within 1-2 years following the first seizure.
-If he had his first seizure before the age of 15 months,
-If he has frequent febrile illnesses,
-The first seizure If the fever is not very high during the seizure,
-If the fever rises very quickly,
-If the mother or father has a history of febrile seizures and epilepsy, the possibility of seizure recurrence is high.
Treatment
Although seizures are frightening in appearance, it is useful to know that FCs will usually stop on their own and rarely last for a long time, and to remain calm during the seizure; Because movements made in a hurry may harm the child, you may drop or hit him.
If you know that the patient has nothing in his mouth and has not bitten his tongue, do not bother with his jaw. There is no such thing as the tongue falling back or blocking the windpipe.
Do not pour anything, especially cologne, into your face or eyes. Because he couldn't protect his eyes You may cause damage to your body.
Do not try to give water or medicine from his mouth, you may cause him to choke and die.
Do not try to hold his arms and legs to prevent them from moving, you may cause muscle tears and bone fractures. .
Lay him on his side so as not to harm him, let him drool, and thin his clothes because he has a fever.
Febrile seizures will usually stop within five minutes. If the seizure continues after 3-4 minutes, call 112 and ask for help. It is useful to go to a nearby health center to determine the disease that causes fever, especially in children under 18 months.
There is usually no need for long-term preventive treatment. It is not right to use antipyretic drugs regularly just because you will have a seizure, and you should not forget that the medications you use will also have side effects. In some cases, your doctor may recommend using medication against febrile seizures. This may be an anti-seizure and anti-seizure medication that will be squeezed anally. When the temperature exceeds 38.5 degrees, the patient is laid on his side and the medicine in the tube is squeezed rectally to prevent a seizure. If the patient is having a seizure for more than 3 minutes, spraying the same medicine again will be useful in stopping the seizure. In some special cases, your doctor may recommend using daily medication
It is generally unnecessary to take an EEG or brain imaging for children with FC. EEG does not provide definitive information about whether the seizure will recur or that epilepsy will develop in the future. If there are no special findings in the neurological examination, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will not be beneficial unless your physician deems it necessary.
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