How families with history of convulsion can reduce risk in children – Paediatrician

Angela Onwuzoo

A Consultant Paediatrician at Nephrology Division, Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina, Dr. Abdurrazzaq Alege, says parents should monitor their children closely when they have a higher than body temperature to avoid the onset of febrile convulsion.

He explained that the condition is associated with a fever and is the most common type of convulsion in children under-five, noting that it is hereditary.

Dr. Alege said families that have children with a history of convulsion should always have rectal paracetamol at home, which according to him, is the recommended type.

The American Academy of Paediatrics noted that fever in infants is a body temperature higher than 100.4°F (38°C), while the normal body temperature range of a baby should be between 97.5°F (36.4°C) and 99.5°F (37.5°C).

“Newborn fever can be dangerous since the infant is still developing immunity and is at a higher risk of developing complications”, the academy stated.

The paediatrician during an interview with PUNCH Healthwise, also said a child that has a fever either caused by malaria, typhoid infection, ear infection, or pneumonia could have a febrile convulsion.

He said, “A baby that has a high body temperature has the tendency to convulse. Febrile convulsion commonly runs in families (genetic).

“Seizures convulsion could be of any form but the commonest one that we see that happens to children is called febrile convulsion.

“It is a convulsion that is associated with fever. It is known to occur in children between the ages of six months and up to five years. It is common and happens as a result of a high body temperature.

“When a baby’s body temperature gets so high to a particular point that it is hot, then at that point, the child has a tendency to convulse (hyperpyrexia). It is so rampant in our society, and once a child convulses, everybody starts to panic. ”

The child health expert stressed that it is important for mothers to reduce their body temperature before attending to the cause of a febrile convulsion.

“It is important to reduce the body temperature of the child because it is associated with fever. When the temperature is taken care of quickly, most times, the child will not get to that point of convulsing.

“But the problem we have in our society is that most people don’t have a thermometer at home, while some of those who have, don’t know the normal temperature range, ” he said.

The expert added, “Everybody believes that once you touch the body and it’s not warm, the child does not have a fever. Children will not show warmth as the temperature is already very high.”

On what parents should do when a child is convulsing, the paediatrician advised, “Once a child is convulsing, lay the child on the left side with the head turned to the side.

“The head should not be turned up. Loosen the child’s clothes, remove sharp objects around him. Allow the child to convulse, holding the child down will cause more problems.

“It doesn’t last more than 15 minutes and before it gets to 10 minutes, parents are already on their way to the hospital or any nearby healthcare centre.”

Continuing, he said, “For families that have children with a history of convulsion, there should always be rectal paracetamol at home.

“Once it happens, the mother should quickly get rectal paracetamol and insert it inside the anus of the child. It works the same way as paracetamol injection.

“It works faster than just giving it into the mouth because it goes directly from the anus into the blood.

“Once the seizures are controlled, the child should quickly be taken to the hospital for proper medical evaluation and treatment.”

In a 2022 article published in Springer Open Access Journal, “Perspectives of febrile convulsions among parents: A local cross-sectional study”, the authors said febrile convulsions occur when the body temperature of babies is more than 38 °C.’

According to the authors, most parents do not properly respond to febrile convulsion management.

“Most parents, especially those who had a febrile convulsion child for the first time, may be terrified as they consider it a lethal condition.

“It is of paramount importance that knowledge about febrile should be available to all society members”, the authors said.

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managing convulsions in children.

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