High temperature in a child occurs in many cases. Young children are prone to fever in diseases much more often than adults. Such manifestations are very scary for parents who are faced with questions about what to do and how to bring down the heat.
Under normal conditions, the temperature in children is 0.2-0.3 degrees higher than in an adult. In the daytime, a moderate increase to 37.5 degrees is possible. At the same time, the state of health and behavior of the child does not change, he does not lose activity. This is often observed with psycho-emotional arousal of the child. An increase in temperature can occur as a result of dehydration or overheating of the body.
High temperature in a child is not necessarily a consequence of the severity of the disease. Sometimes the body thus defends itself by producing interferon, which has an antiviral effect. However, a high temperature in an infant over 38 degrees in the first three months can be dangerous, especially with diseases of the nervous system and heart.
If a child has a high fever, it’s important not to panic. You need to pull yourself together and calm down. First, you need to call the local pediatrician or ambulance. After that, you should take a closer look at the baby and pay attention to how he feels, to his behavior. If symptoms of the disease occur in the form of a runny nose, cough, diarrhea, vomiting or rash, you should inform your doctor about this.
With an increase in temperature, the child develops a fever. There are two conditions: white and red fever. In each case, its own signs and treatment.
The most frequent and more favorable is red fever. In this condition, the baby has pink moist skin, hot to the touch, the legs and arms are warm, a blush may appear on the cheeks. Despite a significant increase in temperature, the child behaves as usual. In such cases, when the temperature rises to 38.5 degrees and above, it is reduced.
The child must be undressed and opened. An influx of fresh air is required, while drafts are unacceptable. It is necessary to give more liquid for drinking in the form of water, compote, tea, fruit or berry juice. To enhance heat transfer, the baby's skin is wiped with a sponge, which is moistened in warm water at 30 degrees. The procedure is carried out every half hour, after which the child must dry on his own. If these methods did not help and the child still has a very high temperature, antipyretic drugs should be used . The safest and most effective are Panadol, Efferalgan, and paracetamol-based drugs. Medications must be given in accordance with the instructions. After taking the drugs, you need to repeat wiping every half hour. After lowering the temperature to 37 and a half, treatment should be stopped, then the temperature will return to normal on its own. As a result of the temperature drop, increased sweating occurs, so you should give your child more drink, change his bed and put on dry clothes.
When a white fever occurs , the child's behavior changes. He becomes completely lethargic (sometimes overly excitable). The baby's skin turns pale, lips and nails take on a bluish tint, legs and arms are cold. With such symptoms, treatment must begin at 37.5 ... 38 degrees.
First of all, it is necessary to warm the child, cover him, put on socks, put a heating pad on his legs. Give warm tea, in case of failure, do not force. Together with antipyretics, it is necessary to give vasodilators (papaverine, no-spa) and wait for the doctor to arrive.
In any case, regardless of the type of fever, the child should be examined by a pediatrician to determine the cause of the temperature and prescribe the appropriate treatment.