In addition to the increase in body temperature, it is also an abnormal situation that the body temperature drops to 36℃. Xu Zuohong, the attending physician of pediatrics in Lin Xin Hospital, pointed out that the normal body temperature is that the high temperature is not higher than 38℃ and the low temperature is not lower than 36℃, so we should pay special attention to it if it is out of range.
It is more accurate to measure body temperature scientifically. Many parents like to measure whether their temperature is high by touching their baby's forehead. In fact, this is an unscientific and inaccurate method, because the feeling is very subjective, just like some people feel hot after washing hot water at 40℃ in winter, and some people feel hot at 38℃. In fact, you can't know exactly what the baby's correct temperature is now by touching, whether it is 37.5℃ (still within the normal range) or 39℃ (fever), especially for newborns with high metabolic rate. The temperature setting point has been about half a degree higher than the general 37℃. If you just touch your forehead, parents may think that your baby has a fever.
Just after taking a hot bath, after the baby is crying, just after drinking milk (drinking milk is exercise for the baby), exercising in the sun, wearing too many clothes and other factors will affect the accuracy of temperature measurement. Parents are advised not to take their children's temperature frequently, unless the children are in poor spirits, have poor appetite or have symptoms such as cough and runny nose.
Early warning of body inflammation, mastering the baby's health, 6 ways to correctly measure the baby's temperature, in order to know whether the baby really has a fever. For newborns under 3 months, Dr. Xu Zuohong suggested that it is best to measure the back temperature or anus temperature, and older children can measure the ear temperature, armpit temperature, oral temperature and forehead temperature.
1 anal temperature
Anal temperature is the temperature closest to the positioning point of human body temperature, and the measured temperature has the highest accuracy. But measuring anal temperature is a bit troublesome. First, clean and disinfect the electronic anal thermometer, apply vaseline for lubrication, insert it about 1.5 ~ 2 cm deep (too deep will make the baby uncomfortable), take it out about 1 minute and see the temperature.
2 back temperature
The temperature measured by the back temperature will be about 0.8 degrees lower than the anal temperature, but it is more convenient than the anal temperature. Just put the back thermometer in a flat place, let the baby lie naked, and press the back thermometer to measure the body temperature. The time is about 1 ~ 2 minutes.
3 ear temperature
The ear temperature is close to the anus temperature, which is the most commonly used method for parents. However, the probe of the ear thermometer is large, and the ear canal of the newborn is too small to measure the temperature of the eardrum. Therefore, it is not recommended to measure the ear temperature of newborns under 3 months. As for older children, you can choose a special ear thermometer for children, because the probe of this ear thermometer is smaller and more suitable.
It takes a little skill to measure ear temperature, otherwise it will easily lead to inaccurate temperature. Because people's ear canal is inclined, it is necessary to aim the probe of ear thermometer at the eardrum smoothly to measure the correct body temperature. First of all, when measuring, pull the child's ear to the upper part of the oblique back to straighten the ear canal, and then put the ear temperature probe into the ear canal for measurement.
It must be noted that if the probe of the ear thermometer is not deep enough, only the temperature of the ear wall can be measured, or the child's ear canal is blocked by a large amount of earwax, and only the temperature of the earwax can be measured (a small amount of earwax can be removed without cleaning). Both methods will reduce the measured temperature and cannot correctly reflect the child's body temperature. Parents can take ear temperature several times, or about 1 time. However, if the child is measured in prone position, the temperature of the ear lying for a long time will increase due to suffocation, and the measurement will also be inaccurate.
In addition, there will be errors when the ear thermometer is used for a long time. It is best to send it back to the original factory for calibration regularly. Of course, parents can measure their body temperature first and check whether the ear thermometer works normally. No matter adults or children, there is an impossible low temperature of 35℃, which means that the ear thermometer must be corrected.
4 Axillary temperature
The temperature of the armpit temperature is similar to the temperature of the back, that is, measuring the temperature of the skin under the armpit and holding the thermometer under the armpit for 3 ~ 5 minutes. It should be noted that the underarm thermometer needs to be clamped correctly to measure the correct body temperature.
5-port temperature
The temperature measured by oral temperature will be about 0.5 degrees lower than that of anus. It is difficult to put the thermometer in the correct position, that is, between the tongue and the lower gum, which takes about 1 minute. If the child just puts the thermometer in his mouth and the thermometer is in the gap on his tongue, but it doesn't touch the skin and mucosa, it can't accurately measure his body temperature.
6 forehead temperature
The forehead temperature is close to the back temperature, but because the forehead temperature is used to measure the forehead skin temperature, if the forehead sweats, oils or sunscreen products are applied, it will interfere with the measurement, which is a measurement method with low accuracy.
Early warning temperature of body inflammation, mastering the baby's health status, should you take antipyretics for fever? Abnormal body temperature is mostly high body temperature, and low body temperature is rare. However, hypothermia may also occur because the external environment is too cold or the body is weak due to illness. If the body temperature is lower than 36℃, it is abnormal and you must seek medical treatment as soon as possible.
Fever with a body temperature higher than 38℃ can be caused by many reasons. Dr. Xu Zuohong emphasized that fever is a symptom, which tells the body that there is an inflammatory reaction. The source of inflammation may be pharyngolaryngitis, otitis media and pneumonia caused by cold, or enterovirus, gastroenteritis, urinary tract inflammation, lupus erythematosus and leukemia caused by autoimmune system, and the reasons need to be diagnosed by doctors.
Basically, the higher the temperature, the more serious the inflammation, which will also increase the discomfort of patients with fever, causing drowsiness, lethargy, loss of appetite, rapid heartbeat, accelerated breathing, sweating and so on. Most fevers will make your body temperature rise and fall in 3 ~ 5 days. As long as the symptoms causing inflammation are improved, the body temperature will naturally drop to normal temperature.
Whether to take antipyretics when you have a fever depends on the situation. If your child has a fever, but is alive and well, you don't need to take antipyretics, because antipyretics are not for treating diseases, but for relieving discomfort caused by rising body temperature. If the child doesn't feel sick because of the rising body temperature, he doesn't need to take antipyretics. When the inflammation improves, his temperature will drop. If the child feels uncomfortable, cries badly or has a bad appetite because of the rising body temperature, he can take antipyretics. At present, commonly used antipyretics include oral propranolol, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, suppository, etc., taken every 4-6 hours 1 time and every 6-8 hours 1 time. It is recommended that older children use oral antipyretics. Parents must pay attention that it takes about half an hour to 1 hour for oral antipyretics to take effect. Parents should not take their temperature immediately after their children take antipyretics, because the temperature will not drop immediately, and it will take 1 ~ 2 hours after taking the medicine to evaluate whether the antipyretics are effective.
In principle, the three antipyretics mentioned above can be used alternately. For example, take Puna first, and if the temperature does not drop for 2-3 hours, the child is still very uncomfortable, then take an oral antipyretic or use a plug. However, it should be noted that the interval between antipyretics should not be too close, otherwise there will be excessive problems. In addition, the symptoms of fever caused by the disease will last for about 2 or 3 days. During this period, the child's temperature will drop after taking antipyretics. However, if the inflammation is not improved, the body temperature will rise again after the drug is used. This kind of temperature fluctuation is a normal reaction. As long as the inflammatory symptoms are alleviated, the body temperature can be restored. When the child's body temperature drops, activity and appetite become better, there is no need to take antipyretics.
Another phenomenon of hyperthermia is caused by the external environment. The body temperature anchor point is normal, but because the body is exposed to the sun outdoors for too long, it generates too much heat or not enough heat dissipation. This is the heatstroke that often happens in summer. Although children rarely suffer from heatstroke, parents are advised that when the sun is hot in summer, their children must rest in the shade for about 15 ~ 30 minutes to replenish enough water. As long as there is enough water, they will sweat, and sweating will take away the heat from their bodies. Therefore, if the child accidentally suffers from heatstroke, immediately move the child to the shade, reduce clothing and replenish water. After normal heat dissipation, the body can alleviate the phenomenon of hyperthermia.
Can a fever burn your brain?
Many parents are nervous about their children's fever, fearing that their heads will burn out and become stupid. Therefore, once they have a fever, they are eager to help their children reduce their fever, which is actually caused by misunderstanding of fever. Dr. Xu Zuohong explained that fever is a symptom of the body's inflammatory reaction, not a disease, and it will not damage the brain. Inflammatory viruses and bacteria, such as encephalitis and meningitis, will damage the brain, and they will invade the meninges and cerebellum in the outer layer of the brain, causing some neurological sequelae, leading to motor, sensory, intellectual and hearing damage. Because encephalitis and meningitis can also cause fever symptoms, which will cause misunderstanding of parents.
Xu zuohong
Education: Department of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen Medical University
Experience: Resident/Chief Physician, Department of Pediatric Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital; Clinical research physician, Department of Hepatobiliary Gastroenterology, Department of Pediatric Internal Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital.
Present position: Attending physician of Pediatrics, Lin Xin Hospital.