Question:medium
Regarding simple febrile seizure, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Regarding simple febrile seizure, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
Show Hint
Simple febrile seizures are managed with intermittent measures around fever, not routine daily anticonvulsants after just one episode.
Updated On: Jul 7, 2026
- It is usually seen in children between 6 months and 6 years of age
- The seizure usually lasts for less than 15 minutes
- Rectal diazepam given at the onset of febrile illness can reduce the incidence of recurrent febrile seizure
- Oral phenobarbitone is usually prescribed after the first episode of seizure to prevent recurrences
Show Solution
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Pediatric textbooks give simple febrile seizures a clear definition and a clear management plan, and this question tests whether each listed statement fits that accepted picture.
Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
A simple febrile seizure is short, under 15 minutes, generalized, happens once in a day, and occurs in children roughly aged 6 months to 5 or 6 years who are otherwise developing normally. Because the seizure itself is not dangerous to the brain, doctors avoid starting long term daily anticonvulsant drugs just to stop a possible future seizure; if a preventive step is used at all, it is usually a short course of medicine given only when the child next develops a fever.
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
The age range of 6 months to 6 years given in the first statement lines up with the standard definition, so this is a true statement.
The duration of under 15 minutes given in the second statement is also part of what makes a febrile seizure simple rather than complex, so this is true as well.
Giving rectal diazepam right when a fever starts, as in the third statement, is a recognized way to cut the chance of a seizure during that illness, since the drug is only used around the fever itself rather than every day, so this statement holds up too.
The fourth statement says oral phenobarbitone is usually started after just one seizure to stop it happening again. This does not match real practice: starting a child on a daily anticonvulsant after a single simple febrile seizure is generally avoided, since the drug's side effects on mood, behavior, and alertness outweigh the small benefit for a condition that does not damage the brain. Continuous drug prevention is not the routine step taken after one episode.
Step 4: Final Answer:
\[ \boxed{\text{Oral phenobarbitone is usually prescribed after the first episode of seizure to prevent recurrences}} \]
Pediatric textbooks give simple febrile seizures a clear definition and a clear management plan, and this question tests whether each listed statement fits that accepted picture.
Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
A simple febrile seizure is short, under 15 minutes, generalized, happens once in a day, and occurs in children roughly aged 6 months to 5 or 6 years who are otherwise developing normally. Because the seizure itself is not dangerous to the brain, doctors avoid starting long term daily anticonvulsant drugs just to stop a possible future seizure; if a preventive step is used at all, it is usually a short course of medicine given only when the child next develops a fever.
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
The age range of 6 months to 6 years given in the first statement lines up with the standard definition, so this is a true statement.
The duration of under 15 minutes given in the second statement is also part of what makes a febrile seizure simple rather than complex, so this is true as well.
Giving rectal diazepam right when a fever starts, as in the third statement, is a recognized way to cut the chance of a seizure during that illness, since the drug is only used around the fever itself rather than every day, so this statement holds up too.
The fourth statement says oral phenobarbitone is usually started after just one seizure to stop it happening again. This does not match real practice: starting a child on a daily anticonvulsant after a single simple febrile seizure is generally avoided, since the drug's side effects on mood, behavior, and alertness outweigh the small benefit for a condition that does not damage the brain. Continuous drug prevention is not the routine step taken after one episode.
Step 4: Final Answer:
\[ \boxed{\text{Oral phenobarbitone is usually prescribed after the first episode of seizure to prevent recurrences}} \]
Was this answer helpful?
0
