Doctors reassure parents on risks of seizures with fever
11.08.2008 16:00
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
When a child is convulsing and has a fever, it may alarm parents, but they should be reassured that the risk of death is very low, doctors say. In Saturday's issue of the journal The Lancet, Danish researchers analyzed death rates for more than 1.6 million children who were followed for up to 28 years. They concluded the overall risk of death linked to febrile seizures is extremely low. Febrile seizures are convulsions caused by high body temperature. They affect two to five per cent of children under the age of five, Dr. Mogens Vestergaard of the Institute of Public Health at Aarhus University in Denmark and colleagues said. Based on the study, for children followed for two years, there would be one death in 1,500 children in the general population compared with two deaths in 1,500 for those who had complex febrile seizures. Simple seizures are those that are brief and don't recur within 24 hours. In contrast, complex seizures last more than 15 minutes or recur within a day. "Parents should be reassured that death after febrile seizures is very rare, even in high-risk children," the study's authors concluded. The study also adds to previous research refuting the idea of a link between febrile seizures and sudden infant death system, said Dr. Maitreyi Mazumdar, a neurologist at Children's Hospital Boston. "The new study suggests that there is a subset of children with febrile seizures — notably those with complex features and underlying neurological abnormalities — that may warrant closer attention and followup," Mazumdar wrote in a journal commentary. Those two factors are risk factors for epilepsy — a seizure disorder that includes repeated, unprovoked brain seizures, Mazumdar said. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedInternal LinksIN DEPTH: SeizuresExternal LinksThe Lancet(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in new window) Health HeadlinesFew U.S. mothers meet breastfeeding goal: studyMore U.S. moms are trying to breastfeed, but most don't stick with for six months as recommended, according to a new study.Vacations put extra strain on pharmacist shortage A drop in new pharmacy graduates has exacerbated a shortage of professionals staffing pharmacies across Newfoundland and Labrador.Calif. legislators consider bisphenol A banResponding to growing consumer anxiety, California legislators are considering enacting restrictions on a chemical found in plastic baby bottles and infant formula cans.Feds revamp stance on idling after meeting with drive-thru groupA federal government website that highlights the negative health and environmental effects of idling your engine has made changes to its message after meeting with a group representing drive-thru restaurants.Travelling Inuit health survey begins work in TuktoyaktukMedical researchers aboard the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Amundsen are in remote western Arctic communities this month to continue their work on the first comprehensive survey of Inuit health in Canada. Health FeaturesFOOD SAFETYInfrared heatA new wavelength for food securityAIDS RESEARCHLife expectancyBig jump in survival rates for those on HIV drugsIN DEPTHLyme diseaseTiny tick, big problemANOTHER VIEWDrugs and drivingNew law a 'positive step', analyst saysHEALTH & FITNESSPeter HadzipetrosRunning from wrinklesHEALTHTrans fatsPeople who read this also read …
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