November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month, and we’ve prepared a series of three blog posts about the diagnosis for our readers this week. Today, Le Bonheur physician Dr. James Wheless, a world-renowned pediatric epileptologist, talks about different types of epilepsy and how it affects kids. Be sure to check back tomorrow. Wheless will talk about resources for patients and families affected by epilepsy.

To learn more about our nationally-ranked Neuroscience Institute, please visit www.lebonheur.org/neuroscience.

It's not uncommon for children ages 1-3 to have a seizure when they are sick with fever, but for a parent it can be very scary.  Dr. James Wheless,  medical director of the Neuroscience Insitute, sits down to talk about this type of seizure -- called febrile seizures -- and what parents need to know.

Febrile seizures occur in 1 in 25 or 1 in 35 children in the United States and can be treated by your pediatrician. If your child does have a febrile seizure, call your pediatrician. Typically, there is no treatment for febrile seizures, and children will recover quickly with no lasting complications.  Only in very rare cases is medicine prescibed to treat febrile seizures. Most parents will not need to see a peditric neurologist for a febrile seizure, but there are some signs for parents to watch out for. If the seizure lasts longer than 30 minutes, or your child has multiple febrile seizures, it might be time to consult a pediatric neurologist. 

The Neuroscience Institute at Le Bonheur Childrnen's Hospital is nationally ranked among the nation's best children's hospitals in Neurology and Neurosurgery.  To learn more about our Neuroscience Institute and the services we provide, please visit www.lebonheur.org/neuroscience.