Spiking high temperatures seem to confuse the brain's normal electrical impulses. Seizures can also occur in normal, healthy children whose internal thermometer has not fully developed. Seizures also may be triggered by poisons, infections, reactions to medications or drugs, Reye's syndrome, snakebites and vaccinations. Even breath-holding can set off a seizure. And seizure is the most common symptom of epilepsy, a disorder of the brain.
Damage is confined to small areas of the brain with a partial seizure.
These are also called absence or petit mal seizures. Symptoms include staring into space and repeated blinking. The child is unaware of the seizure, but someone else may think he or she is daydreaming or not paying attention. These can occur once a day or more than a hundred times a day and can result in learning problems. These are also called tonic-clonic or grand mal seizures.