Fever Seizures

Emergencies

Yes	Does your child have any of the following symptoms that require emergency treatment? Call 911 or other emergency services immediately.

Your child:

• Stops breathing or has moderate to severe difficulty breathing. Before calling 911 or other emergency services, make sure your child is in a safe position on the floor.
• Has a seizure that lasts longer than 3 minutes, or a second seizure occurs during the same illness. Be sure to protect your child during a seizure.
• Has signs of shock.
• Has signs of severe dehydration.
• Has signs of heatstroke.
• Having a seizure is younger than 6 months or older than 5 years. This is less likely to be a fever seizure.

Note:

After calling 911, if your child is not breathing, begin rescue breathing. See Rescue Breathing in the topic Dealing With Emergencies. You may transport your child for emergency medical care if you can do it safely and quickly.

Check Your Symptoms

If you answer yes to any of the following questions, click on the "Yes" in front of the question for information about how soon to see a health professional.

Review health risks that may increase the seriousness of your child's symptoms.

Note:

All temperature guidelines listed in this topic are rectal. A child has a fever when his or her temperature is 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, measured rectally (a thermometer is inserted into the rectum). For information about taking accurate temperatures in babies and children, see the topic Body Temperature. If your child has had a fever seizure in the past and you have talked with your health professional about how to care for your child after a seizure, be sure to follow your health professional's instructions.

Yes	Does your child have a fever and any signs of a serious infection?
Yes	Does your child have a fever and any breathing problems?
Yes	Does your child have a fever and pain? See evaluating pain in a child.
Yes	Do you think your child has an extremely high fever [105°F (40.6°C) or higher]?
Yes	Does your child have a fever and a new skin problem?
Yes	Is this your child's first seizure?
Yes	Has your child had fever seizures in the past and now has had another fever seizure?

If a visit to a health professional is not needed immediately, see the Home Treatment section for self-care information.

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Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS	Last Updated: April 24, 2007
Medical Review:	Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics Thomas Emmett Francoeur, MDCM, CSPQ, FRCPC - Pediatrics
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