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Can fits be associated with fever?

Dr Satish Saluja
Consultant Neonatologist,
Sir Ganga Ram Hospital,
New Delhi

Q: My son is now 3 plus and in good health but his body is always warm especially fore-head/hands. I am worried about my son due to 2 attacks of fits for which he was once hospitalized for 4 days to lower his fever. Last month the doctor took his EEG to find why he gets fits but all reports are normal. My question is that he seems to be having fever but when we check, the temperature is normal. Our experience shows that when he vomits, he gets high fever followed by fits. He looks very tidy and does not eat anything expect milk/water. He is now around 21 kg - is this the right weight for his age?Please advise me to how to solve this problem. Thanks a lot doctor.

A:Your baby seems to be having Febrile convulsions, which are fits associated with high fever which usually occur between the ages of 6 months to 4 years and sometimes can go upto 6 years. If the child is other wise fine and EEG is alright, it should not be a cause of concern as these are benign fits and shall not leave any residual effect later in life.Your baby's weight at 3 years is 21 kg which is on the higher side and needs to be evaluated if has any underlying cause for obesity and you need to see a paediatric endocrinologist who run 'Growth and Obesity Clinics' for this. As you have mentioned, the baby remains warm which may be a subjective feeling. You need to check if the child really has fever or not. For this get him evaluated by a pediatrician who can help you on this.