Syndi Seinfeld DO and John M. Pellock
Febrile seizures are common and mostly benign. They are the most common cause of seizures in children less
than five years of age. There are two categories of febrile seizures, simple and complex. Both the International
League against Epilepsy and the National Institute of Health has published definitions on the classification of febrile
seizures. Simple febrile seizures are mostly benign, but a prolonged (complex) febrile seizure can have long term
consequences. Most children who have a febrile seizure have normal health and development after the event, but there
is recent evidence that suggests a small subset of children that present with seizures and fever may have recurrent
seizure or develop epilepsy. This review will give an overview of the definition of febrile seizures, epidemiology,
evaluation, treatment, outcomes and recent research.
