Definition

Febrile seizures are convulsions of sudden onset due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain that is caused by fever. Fever is a condition in which body temperature is elevated above normal (generally above 100.4°F [38°C]).

Description

Febrile seizures were first distinguished from epileptic seizures in the twentieth century. The National Institutes of Health defined febrile seizures in 1980 as "an event in infancy or childhood usually occurring between three months and five years of age, associated with fever, but without evidence of intracranial infection or defined cause."

There are three major subtypes of febrile seizures. The simple febrile seizure accounts for 70 to 75 percent of febrile...