Febrile seizures typically occur between the ages of 6 months and 6 years. They are common, with an estimated cumulative incidence in Europe and North America of 3% to 5%. With “simple” febrile seizures—that is, febrile seizures that have no lateralising features during the attack or afterwards, that last less than 15 min, and that do not recur during a 24 h period—the risk of subsequent epilepsy is probably no different from that in the overall population.

The randomised controlled double-blind study by Strengell and colleagues in five hospitals in Finland investigated the effects of secondary prophylaxis of febrile seizures with antipyretic agents. It enrolled 231 …