It is too common for children to have a fever. But when a child has a fever, it is easy to have a high fever above 38.5℃. Touching the child's hot body is very scared and worried. If the child doesn't have a fever for a few days, parents will be more impatient.
Tips:
A thermometer is an accurate measuring instrument to determine a fever. At present, there are electronic thermometer, cochlear implant, forehead patch, pacifier and glass mercury thermometer on the market. A safer and more accurate thermometer is electronic thermometer, which can measure a child's temperature through the mouth, anus and armpit.
Is fever a terrible sign?
Fever is caused by the increase of body temperature in the thermoregulatory center located in the hypothalamus of the brain. Although the normal person's body temperature will fluctuate a little in a day, the thermoregulatory center of the hypothalamus will try to control the normal person's body temperature at around 37℃ by increasing the body's heat dissipation or heat production. When germs (including vaccinated vaccines) invade the human body, the human body will use some defense mechanisms to resist the invasion of germs, such as white blood cells and lymphocytes with bactericidal effect. Fever is the most important starting signal for using human defense mechanism. The thermoregulatory center of hypothalamus controls the level of body temperature by up-regulation, which leads to fever.
Fever is a protective mechanism against germs after being attacked by germs, which is very beneficial to the human body. In this sense, this is certainly not a terrible sign.
How high is the child's temperature a fever?
If you feel hot when you kiss or touch your child's forehead, it means that the child may have a fever. From a medical point of view, although the basal body temperature of each child is different (the normal body temperature can fluctuate between 35.5℃ and 37.5℃), if it exceeds 37.5℃, it should be considered that the child has a fever.
Why are children prone to high fever above 38.5℃?
The elevated body temperature level in the thermoregulatory center is closely related to the condition. Because the child's brain is not mature enough, after receiving the up-regulation signal from the thermoregulation center, there will often be over-regulation. This is why when a child has a fever, he will always reach a state of high fever.
Tips:
High fever may lead to brain instability in children-febrile convulsions. Therefore, when the child's body temperature is higher than 38.5℃, the child should be given antipyretic drugs.
Can you treat a fever with antibiotics?
When a child has a fever, don't just aim at controlling the child's body temperature to return to normal. As long as the child's body temperature is controlled within 38.5℃, it can not only play the role of human body in resisting diseases, but also avoid convulsions caused by high fever. Many reasons can cause fever, but only fever caused by bacterial infection can be treated with antibiotics. Whether treated with antibiotics or other drugs, the purpose is to treat the cause of fever, not the fever itself.
Can children get pneumonia or encephalitis with high fever for a long time?
If fever itself does not cause febrile convulsion, it will not cause damage to any part of the human body. However, the cause of fever may cause pneumonia, encephalitis or damage to other parts of the human body. Therefore, when a child has a fever, it is necessary to find the cause through the help of a doctor while controlling the high fever, and take appropriate measures for the cause to make the child recover quickly.
How to care for children with fever at home?
If the child has a fever, he can still play freely, eat and drink normally, communicate as before, and his skin is rosy, indicating that the child's condition is not serious. Parents can observe their children at home, give them plenty of water, increase the chances of urination and evaporation of skin moisture, and reduce their body temperature by increasing heat dissipation. If the body temperature is higher than 38.5℃, children can be given antipyretic drugs that are very safe at present, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) and/or ibuprofen (Merrill Lynch). Antipyretic drugs can reduce the thermoregulatory center and achieve the effect of reducing fever. Lowering the temperature regulation center is achieved by increasing the heat dissipation of the human body. The heat dissipation of the human body is mainly accomplished by sweating on the skin, increasing urine excretion and increasing breathing. If children don't have enough water intake, antipyretics can't play a role in reducing fever.
For children, the most common cause of fever is upper respiratory tract infection caused by virus, which is often called "upper sensation" on weekdays. Upper respiratory tract infection is caused by virus, with an average course of 3-5 days. As long as you drink plenty of water and use drugs reasonably, you can help your child get through the process of "feeling" smoothly.
What's with taking him to the hospital?
1, the temperature of the baby less than 3 months old exceeds 38℃;
2, more than 3 months of children's body temperature over 40℃, accompanied by:
Refuse to drink water;
Even after drinking a lot of water, it still looks uncomfortable;
Less urine, dry mouth when crying, less tears;
Complaining about headache, earache or neck pain;
Persistent diarrhea and/or vomiting;
Fever for more than 72 hours.
Special reminder
When these signs appear, you must take your child to the emergency room immediately.
Crying endlessly for hours;
Extremely excited;
Extremely weak, even refusing activities, including crawling and walking;
A rash or purple needle-sized bleeding spot or ecchymosis appears;
Purple lips, tongue or nail bed;
The front fontanel on the baby's head protrudes outward;
Stiff neck;
Severe headache;
Lower limb movement disorder, such as limping; Pain during exercise, etc.
Obvious dyspnea;
Spasm.
Bian Xiao's summary:
Fever is a protective mechanism of human body, not a terrible sign.
When a child has a fever, don't just aim at controlling the child's body temperature to return to normal.
Only in the case of bacterial infection can you choose to use antibiotics.
If fever itself does not cause febrile convulsion, it will not cause damage to any part of the human body.