Question

Parent Inquiry: My two-year-old child often has convulsions during high fever, having experienced 3 to 4 episodes. How can we effectively prevent convulsions in children? What should be done in an emergency situation when convulsions occur?

Answer

Expert Advice: To prevent recurrence, some advocate for long-term medication use, regardless of whether there is a fever, taking medication every day. However, due to the high incidence of febrile convulsions and the fact that only a small number lead to severe sequelae, the following long-term medication indications are currently recommended:

  1. Complex febrile convulsions.
  2. Presence of risk factors with two or more episodes. Long-term treatment options include phenobarbital, valproate, sodium valproate, or carbamazepine. Emergency Home Treatment Steps:
  3. During an attack:
    • Stab or press on acupoints such as Renzhong, Baihui, Hegu, and Shenmen.
    • Actively lower body temperature while maintaining ventilation and warmth. Loosen clothing and wipe the child’s body with alcohol or warm water on hot spots (such as the sides of the neck, armpits, and groin).
    • Loosen the collar to ensure airway unobstructed, have the child lie on their side to avoid aspiration of vomit or secretions.
    • If the child has not yet clamped their jaw shut