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Seizures, Febrile MeSH Descriptor Data 2025


MeSH Heading
Seizures, Febrile
Tree Number(s)
C10.597.742.571
C23.888.592.742.571
Unique ID
D003294
RDF Unique Identifier
http://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D003294
Scope Note
Seizures that occur during a febrile episode. It is a common condition, affecting 2-5% of children aged 3 months to five years. An autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance has been identified in some families. The majority are simple febrile seizures (generally defined as generalized onset, single seizures with a duration of less than 30 minutes). Complex febrile seizures are characterized by focal onset, duration greater than 30 minutes, and/or more than one seizure in a 24 hour period. The likelihood of developing epilepsy (i.e., a nonfebrile seizure disorder) following simple febrile seizures is low. Complex febrile seizures are associated with a moderately increased incidence of epilepsy. (From Menkes, Textbook of Child Neurology, 5th ed, p784)
Entry Term(s)
Convulsions, Febrile
Febrile Convulsion Seizure
Febrile Fit
Febrile Seizures
Fever Convulsion
Fever Seizure
Pyrexial Convulsion
Pyrexial Seizure
Seizure, Febrile, Complex
Seizure, Febrile, Simple
NLM Classification #
WL 340
Previous Indexing
Convulsions (1966-1976)
Public MeSH Note
2000; see CONVULSIONS, FEBRILE 1982-1999, see CONVULSIONS 1977-1981; for SEIZURES, FEBRILE see CONVULSIONS, FEBRILE 1982-1999
History Note
2000(1977)
Date Established
1982/01/01
Date of Entry
1976/04/27
Revision Date
2017/02/24
Seizures, Febrile Preferred
Seizure, Febrile, Complex Narrower
Seizure, Febrile, Simple Narrower
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