Young children who have simple febrile seizures don't necessarily require anticonvulsant medication or extensive tests, according to a new technical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
Published last month in Pediatrics, the report is based on reviews of more than 300 medical journal articles on simple febrile seizures. The reviews and a previous report in 1996 indicate that because simple febrile seizure is not a harbinger of lifelong disability, the benefits of anticonvulsant medication do not outweigh potential adverse effects. Extensive tests, such as imaging of the brain, also are unnecessary, the report stated.
The report defined simple febrile seizure as lasting less than 15 minutes and causing symmetrical movements of both sides of the body following a rapid increase in body temperature in a child aged 6 months to 5 years. The AAP noted that recommendations in the report do not apply to children . . . [Full Text of this Article]
