The classic description of a simple febrile seizure includes which features?

• A. A generalized tonic-clonic seizure in a child aged 6 months to 5 years lasting less than 15 minutes, with return to baseline between attacks and no CNS infection.
• B. A focal seizure lasting more than 30 minutes in a toddler.
• C. A nocturnal seizure in an adolescent.
• D. A febrile seizure in an adult.

Answer: (A)

Simple febrile seizures are generalized, brief events that occur in young children during fever, with no evidence of CNS infection or prior neurological problems. The hallmark features are a generalized tonic-clonic seizure that lasts under 15 minutes and occurs in a child typically aged 6 months to 5 years, who returns to baseline after the event and has no focal neurological signs. This description matches the option by describing a generalized seizure in the right age range, brief duration, fever in the setting of no CNS disease, and full recovery.

The other scenarios don’t fit: a focal seizure or one lasting more than 15 minutes points away from a simple febrile seizure and toward a complex febrile seizure or a different diagnosis; a nocturnal seizure in an adolescent or a febrile seizure in an adult is outside the typical age range and presentation for simple febrile seizures.