Natural history of fever following seizure

Generalized tonic-clonic seizure, like vigorous exercise, can cause a rise in body temperature. To describe the course of fever following a generalized seizure, the temperature curves of 93 hospitalized postictal patients were reviewed retrospectively. Forty patients (43%) had an elevation of body temperature above 37.8 degrees C (100 degrees F). No underlying infectious illness was identified in two thirds of the febrile patients, 89% of whom had become and remained afebrile by 48 hours. One third of the febrile patients who did have an infection were still febrile after 48 hours. This finding may help clinicians determine the timing of appropriate tests to rule out infections during the postictal period.