Febrile Seizures Press Releases

Febrile seizures during childhood are usually benign, but when prolonged, they can foreshadow an increased risk of epilepsy later. A new study suggests that brain imaging and recordings of brain activity could help identify the children at highest risk. It shows that within days of a prolonged febrile seizure, some children have signs of acute brain injury, abnormal brain anatomy, and/or altered brain activity.

Six outstanding scientists who target neurological disorders at the cellular and molecular level were recently awarded the prestigious Senator Jacob Javits Award in the Neurosciences. The award provides for up to seven years of research funding from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the nation’s leading agency for research on the brain and nervous system and a component of the National Institutes of Health.

Oral diazepam (Valium), given at times of fever, safely reduces the risk of febrile seizure recurrence in infants and children, according to a study published in the July 8 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine* and funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Febrile seizures are fever-triggered convulsions that occur in approximately 3-4 percent of all children in the United States. Although they are generally harmless, their occurrence can cause alarm in the family.