E-ISSN 1658-7820
 

Review Article
Online Published: 09 Jan 2026
 


Prevalence, diagnosis, and management of febrile seizures in children: a systematic review

Maher S. Shalabi, Muhannad Muslih Alhazmi, Mussab Zakaria Almaghrabi, Renad Alkenedri, Rena Aljahdli, Reema Saeed Almater, Ruba Mohammed Al Murayyi, Rawan Mohammed Al-qahtani, Fatoon Mohammed Alamri, Lamia Ahmed Saddah.


Abstract
Febrile seizures (FS) are the most common type of pediatric seizures, affecting 2-5% of children between six months and five years worldwide. Scientific research in recent years has paved the way for the exploration of many new tools to improve early assessment. Despite these advances, there is still uncertainty about how common different forms of febrile seizures are, which risk factors matter most, and which investigations truly help guide care. The review followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, and was analyzed using RevMan version 5.4.0. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) was applied to evaluate the methodological quality of included observational studies, and the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was used to assess randomized studies. This systematic review compiled recent findings from 11 studies on prevalence, diagnostic indicators, and management. The progression to febrile status epilepticus was linked to younger age (<18 months), lower presenting fever (<104°F), and imaging abnormalities in the temporal lobes. Acute hippocampus T2 signal alterations were detected in 11.5% of status epilepticus patients. Pathogenic SCN1A mutations were detected in 5.5% of FS cases, especially in complex presentations. Additionally, the IL-1β-511 TT genotype increased inflammatory danger. SARS-CoV-2-associated FS differed from usual instances, affecting older children with longer, more complicated seizures. Long-term results for simple FS were generally positive, although recurrent seizures were related to risks to expressive language development. The review concludes that FS etiology comprised a complex combination of genetic, immunological, and structural variables, making the clinical category alone insufficient for prognosis.

Key words: Febrile seizures, pediatric seizures, febrile status epilepticus, prevalence, diagnosis, management, systematic review.


 
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How to Cite this Article
Pubmed Style

Shalabi MS, Alhazmi MM, Almaghrabi MZ, Alkenedri R, Aljahdli R, Almater RS, Murayyi RMA, Al-qahtani RM, Alamri FM, Saddah LA. Prevalence, diagnosis, and management of febrile seizures in children: a systematic review. IJMDC. 2026; 10(1): 408-416. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1765253174


Web Style

Shalabi MS, Alhazmi MM, Almaghrabi MZ, Alkenedri R, Aljahdli R, Almater RS, Murayyi RMA, Al-qahtani RM, Alamri FM, Saddah LA. Prevalence, diagnosis, and management of febrile seizures in children: a systematic review. https://www.ijmdc.com/?mno=302340 [Access: January 25, 2026]. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1765253174


AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Shalabi MS, Alhazmi MM, Almaghrabi MZ, Alkenedri R, Aljahdli R, Almater RS, Murayyi RMA, Al-qahtani RM, Alamri FM, Saddah LA. Prevalence, diagnosis, and management of febrile seizures in children: a systematic review. IJMDC. 2026; 10(1): 408-416. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1765253174



Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Shalabi MS, Alhazmi MM, Almaghrabi MZ, Alkenedri R, Aljahdli R, Almater RS, Murayyi RMA, Al-qahtani RM, Alamri FM, Saddah LA. Prevalence, diagnosis, and management of febrile seizures in children: a systematic review. IJMDC. (2026), [cited January 25, 2026]; 10(1): 408-416. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1765253174



Harvard Style

Shalabi, M. S., Alhazmi, . M. M., Almaghrabi, . M. Z., Alkenedri, . R., Aljahdli, . R., Almater, . R. S., Murayyi, . R. M. A., Al-qahtani, . R. M., Alamri, . F. M. & Saddah, . L. A. (2026) Prevalence, diagnosis, and management of febrile seizures in children: a systematic review. IJMDC, 10 (1), 408-416. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1765253174



Turabian Style

Shalabi, Maher S., Muhannad Muslih Alhazmi, Mussab Zakaria Almaghrabi, Renad Alkenedri, Rena Aljahdli, Reema Saeed Almater, Ruba Mohammed Al Murayyi, Rawan Mohammed Al-qahtani, Fatoon Mohammed Alamri, and Lamia Ahmed Saddah. 2026. Prevalence, diagnosis, and management of febrile seizures in children: a systematic review. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, 10 (1), 408-416. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1765253174



Chicago Style

Shalabi, Maher S., Muhannad Muslih Alhazmi, Mussab Zakaria Almaghrabi, Renad Alkenedri, Rena Aljahdli, Reema Saeed Almater, Ruba Mohammed Al Murayyi, Rawan Mohammed Al-qahtani, Fatoon Mohammed Alamri, and Lamia Ahmed Saddah. "Prevalence, diagnosis, and management of febrile seizures in children: a systematic review." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries 10 (2026), 408-416. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1765253174



MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Shalabi, Maher S., Muhannad Muslih Alhazmi, Mussab Zakaria Almaghrabi, Renad Alkenedri, Rena Aljahdli, Reema Saeed Almater, Ruba Mohammed Al Murayyi, Rawan Mohammed Al-qahtani, Fatoon Mohammed Alamri, and Lamia Ahmed Saddah. "Prevalence, diagnosis, and management of febrile seizures in children: a systematic review." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries 10.1 (2026), 408-416. Print. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1765253174



APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Shalabi, M. S., Alhazmi, . M. M., Almaghrabi, . M. Z., Alkenedri, . R., Aljahdli, . R., Almater, . R. S., Murayyi, . R. M. A., Al-qahtani, . R. M., Alamri, . F. M. & Saddah, . L. A. (2026) Prevalence, diagnosis, and management of febrile seizures in children: a systematic review. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, 10 (1), 408-416. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1765253174





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