Apart from fits in children with cerebral palsy or severe mental retardation, the vast majority are relatively benign, triggered by fever and without any specific underlying cause.
Fits are more likely if the temperature rises rapidly.
If they occur, they usually do so soon after the initial temperature rise. In general, a child in supportive circumstances at home who has a simple febrile convulsion does not need to be admitted to hospital. A child who has a fit not associated with a fever should be referred to paediatric outpatients unless a cause is found which warrants urgent admission.