Introduction: Febrile myoclonus is an underreported but an interesting condition in children and has many similarities to the well-known syndrome of febrile seizures in terms of the age of onset and the overall benign nature of the condition.

Case Description: The author presents a 11-month-old previously healthy male with myoclonic jerks of the upper extremities in the setting of a febrile respiratory illness (102.3 F).  He had recurrence of myoclonus with fever at 13 and 27 months.  During these three occasions, myoclonic jerks clustered and lasted for several minutes occurring soon after the onset of fever but subsiding with anti-pyretics. He had a normal electroencephalogram (EEG) on the first two occasions. However, he continued to show normal neurodevelopment without the occurrence of other seizure types during follow-up visits.

Conclusion/Discussion: Limited literature is available on febrile myoclonus in children and to the best of the author’s knowledge; several recurrences in the same child, although possible, have not been reported previously. This is important as children with recurrent episodes need to be watched closely for development of new seizure types, afebrile seizures and cognitive decline which occurs in severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy (Dravet syndrome) and is an important consideration in an infant or a young child presenting with myoclonus during a febrile illness. Although febrile myoclonus is a harmless entity, caregivers should be counseled to watch for these signs and symptoms and such children should be closely followed-up. This patient, now almost four, has remained neurodevelopmentally normal and seizure free.