Acetaminophen May Reduce Febrile Seizure Recurrence

Febrile seizures (FS) occur in approximately 2% to 5% of preschool-aged children who are otherwise healthy and without underlying metabolic disease, intracranial infection, or history of afebrile seizures. Researchers in Japan randomized 423 otherwise healthy children (ages 6–60 months) with simple febrile seizures to receive rectal acetaminophen (10 mg/kg every 6 hours if fever remained >38.0° C) or no antipyretic for 24 hours after onset of the FS.

The trial excluded children with seizures lasting >15 minutes, use of diazepam to prevent FS, underlying chronic medical illness, chromosomal abnormalities, history of intracranial surgery or brain tumors, or use of antihistamines.

Overall, 16% of patients had recurrence of FS during the same fev…