Usually, the thermoregulatory center is in a stable state, about 37℃. However, once the body is infected and inflamed, it will lead to the abnormality of the thermoregulatory center and the body temperature will start to rise. As for how high the body temperature will soar? The answer is not necessarily. Some of them may jump to 39℃ ~ 4 1℃.
However, Dr. Wang Heshun said that the higher the fever, the more serious the inflammation. Some children, whose body temperature can't burn at all, were sent to the hospital for examination and found to be septicemia. Therefore, fever is only a symptom and warning signal presented by the body, and the real cause needs patient observation by parents and diagnosis by pediatricians.
Dr. Wang added that the fever reaction caused by inflammation in the body is usually caused by external bacteria, viruses or molds, such as otitis media, meningitis, urinary tract infection, pneumonia and septicemia. In addition to infectious factors, adult fever also includes "non-infectious" factors, such as rheumatic joint pain caused by rheumatic immune diseases, and the behind of fever is often much more complicated than that of children.
Q2: In what season should we pay special attention to fever? Why? Dr Wang Heshun replied that fever can occur all year round, and there is no seasonal restriction. But usually when the seasons alternate, some viruses are in the most active period, such as enterovirus in summer and influenza virus in winter. At these times, we should pay special attention to the nutrition of the diet to avoid the baby's picky eaters, excessive limbs activity and wearing too thin clothes when the temperature is low, so as to avoid the baby's immune decline and infection with various germs and fever.
The baby was bitten by a mosquito when he went out. Is it possible to have a fever because of inflammation and infection? Dr Wang Heshun replied that mosquito bites usually cause redness, swelling and itching of the skin. When the baby grabs it with his hands, he may accidentally bring bacteria in from the wound. At this time, it may cause secondary infection to form cellulitis, and in severe cases, it may also cause abscess. In this case, it may also cause the baby to have a fever.
Therefore, Dr. Wang reminds parents that when the baby is just bitten by a mosquito, the redness and swelling will disappear in two or three days, which is an acute allergic reaction. However, if the bite is found to be more and more swollen after 3 ~ 4 days, you must take your baby to see a doctor for diagnosis, because the wound may have serious infection problems.
Q3: How do parents judge whether the baby has a fever? Dr Wang Heshun said that traditional parents used to touch their foreheads when observing whether their children had a fever. However, just touching them like this is only through the temperature difference of the skin, and the measurement is not accurate. Therefore, it is more correct to suggest parents to measure by "thermometer".
There are so many instruments to measure the baby's temperature, including "anal temperature, ear temperature, axillary temperature, back temperature, forehead temperature and mouth temperature". Which one is best for baby? Dr. Wang said that babies under 6 months can be detected by electronic anorectal instrument. Because the baby's ear canal under 3 months old is too small, if you use an ear thermometer, you may not be able to touch the depth of the ear canal (note: the ear thermometer senses the temperature with the eardrum), or because the baby sleeps on his side, the ear canal range may be squashed and cannot be accurately measured.
Therefore, the ear temperature should be measured at least 3 ~ 6 months old, and the electronic anal meter should be used below 3 months. Then, when using the ear thermometer, both sides should be measured, subject to the highest temperature. How many degrees does the baby have a fever? Dr. Wang said that usually the anal temperature and ear temperature are above 38℃ to calculate fever; Axillary temperature, back temperature and other body surface temperatures, fever above 37℃; As for the electronic forehead temperature gun and oral temperature (note: children over 5 years old use oral thermometer), it is above 37.5℃. Among the above measurement methods, the accuracy of forehead temperature is the lowest.
What factors will affect the baby's temperature measurement? Dr. Wang replied that the baby wears too many clothes, and the indoor environment is too stuffy. He just took a shower, and the baby's sleeping position may affect the temperature measurement. For example, if a baby sleeps on a certain side for a long time, it may lead to a higher body temperature on that side of the body, which may affect the accuracy of measurement.
Q4: Will a fever burn your brain? What diseases are often accompanied? As mentioned above, fever is the initial warning of the body, which may imply that a red light is on somewhere in the baby's body, and there are many reasons behind it. Including the above-mentioned infections, some may not have respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms, but they have urinary tract infections, which need to be diagnosed by urine examination.
Dr. Wang Heshun said that in principle, some people think that the temperature of fever will damage the brain, but according to the data of the Pediatric Medical Association, high fever has no direct impact on the baby's brain, but it is a disease that causes high fever and will have a potential impact on health.
But the doctor also reminded that unless it is meningitis, it may cause brain abscess (note: inflammation of brain tissue); Pneumonia can be complicated with lung abscess and effusion; Otitis media can affect hearing. Otherwise, generally speaking, a high fever will not burn the brain. High fever is just a symptom caused by different diseases. What is more worrying is those diseases that will invade brain tissue and their complications.
Q5: How to reduce the fever of newborns? The doctor said that above 38℃ is a fever. So how can we help the baby reduce the fever? Traditionally, the correct way is to cover the baby with clothes first, but not too much if he has a fever and chills. When the baby is not afraid of cold, or has a fever of 38℃ ~ 38.5℃, it can help the baby to reduce clothing coverage, maintain air circulation, drink more warm water and promote metabolism. And parents can fill the washbasin with warm water and wipe the baby's body with warm water.
However, it should be reminded that it is best not to let the baby soak in warm water directly, because sometimes the bathroom is too stuffy to dissipate heat easily. In addition, parents must be reminded not to rub their baby's body with alcohol, otherwise it will lead to skin absorption and alcoholism. Also, although you can sleep on an ice pillow, you must cover it with a towel to avoid frostbite after sleeping for a long time. As for whether or not to use antipyretic stickers, the effect varies from person to person, and parents can decide for themselves.
Can parents buy antipyretics for their babies? Dr Wang Heshun said that the baby's fever should be observed first. If the temperature of the high fever rises sharply or burns wildly, or the high fever lasts for too long, for example, it has been burning for 3 to 5 days, then you can take it to see a doctor to determine whether there are other sick problems. However, when antipyretics are generally used, they need to be used only when the baby has obvious high fever discomfort. As for whether to buy it yourself, you should consult a pediatrician in advance, and the doctor can have a prescription. In addition, infants with a history of thermal spasm should take antipyretics as soon as possible (BT & gt38? C) Avoid cramps caused by high fever.
When the baby's fever exceeds 38.5℃, Dr. Wang Heshun said that at this time, we can consider using antipyretics to cool the baby. At present, parents are advised to give priority to "1". "Try to take liquid medicine orally. If the antipyretic effect is not good after 2-3 hours of oral administration, a second antipyretic such as "2. Plug "will be considered, if even the plug has no effect, then" 3. Injection "will be considered at last. But at present, few people use antipyretics for injection, after all, because of its strong side effects. In addition, antipyretics containing aspirin are absolutely forbidden for babies.
Many parents will ask the doctor if they can observe the fever at home first. Dr. Wang said that parents who face their baby's fever for the first time can continue to observe it within 42 to 78 hours after the baby comes home, including: "Does the fever temperature keep rising?" ","does it last too long? (Note: It usually lasts more than 2 ~ 3 days), and the most important thing is "Does the baby lack activities?" ",once the baby's activity is significantly reduced, or novice parents are not at ease, you can take the baby to see a doctor and let the pediatrician help reduce the fever and give a diagnosis.
How long does the baby usually have a high fever before taking it to the doctor? Dr. Wang Heshun pointed out that based on clinical diagnosis, it is necessary to observe the condition over time, so there is no absolute answer. In particular, the fever caused by some diseases and infections is likely to last for more than 3 to 5 days, and some even need a week or so to slowly reduce the fever.
Like Kawasaki disease, it usually takes 5 days to be diagnosed; Rose rash can also cause your baby to have a fever for 3 to 4 days, and the fever will gradually decrease within 24 hours after the rash. Therefore, Dr. Wang suggested that when the temperature of the baby's high fever changes at any time, it is ok to take it to a doctor for diagnosis at any time. However, if the baby continues to burn for more than a few days, parents can at least rest assured.
When the baby has a fever, it is obvious that he needs to see a doctor. What are the symptoms? Dr. Wang Heshun said that when the baby's clinical symptoms get worse, such as poor mobility, severe cough, obvious dyspnea and even spasm, these are all symptoms that the baby needs to be rushed to the hospital.
The performance that the baby needs to see a doctor immediately can be summarized as: 1. The baby under three months has a fever.
2. Novice parents, facing neonatal fever for the first time.
3. Newborns have the following clinical symptoms, such as poor mobility, decreased milk volume, loose stools, decreased urine volume, fewer times, or abnormal color, marble color spots, etc.
4. Abnormal symptoms of older infants, such as earache, sinus pain, chest pain, shortness of breath, asthma, headache, unconsciousness, loss of appetite and decreased activity.
Baby's health is red, and she has a fever. Question Q6: When she has a fever, take a drip with her baby. Is it helpful to reduce the fever? Most people think that the effect of intravenous drip is more direct, but this is not the case for babies. Dr. Wang Heshun pointed out that if a child weighs only 6 kilograms, of course, the amount of intravenous drip should not be too much. Only about 30 degrees Celsius water can be injected per hour at most. Plus an intravenous drip will make the child cry. It is best to let children drink more warm water, which can promote metabolism.
Dr. Wang explained that because fever sometimes takes away water, there may be some water shortage, so the water in the body may be relatively insufficient and the body temperature will be more difficult to drop. So you can help your baby replenish water, such as drinking more breast milk and increasing the amount of formula milk, instead of thinking about helping your baby replenish water by drip. This concept is actually incorrect.
Doctor's intimate words to parents: fever is just an alarm, a warning light, which is to inform you that there is something wrong at home! As for whether the home was "stolen"? Or "gas leak" or "wire fire"? Then you need to check it carefully to know. Different infectious diseases may cause fever, and fever is also a natural reaction of the baby's immune system. However, the complications and sequelae caused by the disease are something that parents must not underestimate. Usually let the baby eat more, sleep more and exercise more, which helps to enhance immunity, and the baby has physical strength to fight against foreign diseases.
Wang Heshun Education: Department of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences Experience: Director of Pediatrics, Hsinchu Hospital, Department of Health, Executive Yuan; Director of Neonatal Department, Department of Health, Executive Yuan; He is currently the attending physician of pediatrics in Tai 'an Hospital and the director of neonatal intensive care unit in Tai 'an Hospital.