Seizures that occur during a febrile episode. It is a common condition, affecting 2-5% of children aged 3 months to five years. An autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance has been identified in some families. The majority are simple febrile seizures (generally defined as generalized onset, single seizures with a duration of less than 30 minutes). Complex febrile seizures are characterized by focal onset, duration greater than 30 minutes, and/or more than one seizure in a 24 hour period. The likelihood of developing epilepsy (i.e., a nonfebrile seizure disorder) following simple febrile seizures is low. Complex febrile seizures are associated with a moderately increased incidence of epilepsy. (From Menkes, Textbook of Child Neurology, 5th ed, p784)

DUI

D003294 MeSH Browser

CUI

M0005138

Previous indexing

Convulsions (1966-1976)

History note

2000(1977)

Public note

2000; see CONVULSIONS, FEBRILE 1982-1999, see CONVULSIONS 1977-1981; for SEIZURES, FEBRILE see CONVULSIONS, FEBRILE 1982-1999