Which statement is a criterion for febrile seizures?

• A. Fever rising quickly above 101.8 F in a child aged 3 months to 6 years
• B. Fever of 98.6 F with no precipitating cause
• C. Seizure lasting longer than 30 minutes
• D. Underlying neurologic abnormality present

Answer: (A)

Febrile seizures occur when a child, typically from about six months to five years old, has a fever and then experiences a convulsion in the fever’s context, with no CNS infection or other cause identified. The statement describing a fever rising quickly above about 101.8°F in a child within that age range matches this pattern: there’s fever linked to the seizure in the right age window. The other scenarios don’t fit: a normal fever with no fever-related cause doesn’t explain a febrile seizure; a seizure lasting longer than 30 minutes isn’t the usual pattern for simple febrile seizures (longer episodes raise concern for a prolonged or complex seizure); and an underlying neurologic abnormality would point away from a typical febrile seizure, which occurs in otherwise healthy children.