Fever may contribute to seizures
Livingston shot an EEG in 10 young children with a fever, but without seizures or other neurological disorders. In 9 of them, bilateral synchronous slow high-voltage waves were observed. These EEGs were clearly pathological and indicated changes in the brain, possibly temporary. According to Livingston, these changes in brain waves are the result of fever, not the infection that caused it. Neyman describes mental disorders in patients undergoing pyrotherapy: “Some patients gradually lose contact with their surroundings, start mumbling and lose their orientation in time and space.
Somewhat later, hallucinations may begin in these patients. As noted by Ebaugh, pronounced bouts of delirium with pyrotherapy were associated with the patient’s restless and unstable nature, the use of sedatives and the development of very high body temperature (up to 41.1-41.7 ° C).
Often delirium, disorientation and hallucinations are observed in children with fever and disappear when the temperature normalizes. Kales described five children in whom sleepwalking and night terrors first appeared during or shortly after the illness with high fever. As he claims, fever causes fragmented sleep and leads to a decrease in the total duration of sleep, with which the disturbance of awakening is likely to be associated. Patients and their parents are worried not only by the possible organic effects of fever, but also by such mental disorders as delirium, etc.
It is well known that fever may contribute to the development of seizures in young and older children prone to them. Suffice it to say that this phenomenon is observed in 2–5% of children aged from 6 months to 5 years. Simple febrile seizures are probably not dangerous in terms of persistent neurological damage, but they cause fear and anxiety. Even simple febrile convulsions require the attention of a physician and laboratory research, which is associated with large expenditures of time and money.
Fever can also provoke seizures in patients with epilepsy or other neurological diseases. In contrast to simple febrile seizures, these convulsions can be severe and prolonged, often turning into epileptic status. This situation is undoubtedly unfavorable and potentially dangerous.