Today we will tell you about what a white fever in a child is. You will also find out what symptoms are characteristic of such a condition, why it occurs, how it is diagnosed and treated.
general information
A fever is a defensive reaction of a sick organism directed against a pathogen of a virus or infection. In medical practice, this condition is usually divided into white and pink fever.
White fever in a child is accompanied by spasms of blood vessels, which subsequently lead to chills. Such a malaise is extremely difficult for kids to bear. Therefore, at the first signs of the disease, all measures should be taken to eliminate white fever and turn it into pink. By the way, the latter state is characterized by active heat transfer, as a result of which the risk of overheating of the patient is significantly reduced.
White fever in a child: symptoms
Experts have identified three stages of this condition. According to them, they occur according to certain symptom complexes.
The treatment of the patient should be prescribed only by an experienced pediatrician, in accordance with all febrile manifestations.
White fever in a child proceeds as follows:
- The baby's body temperature rises quickly.
- Heat levels are stabilizing.
- Body temperature drops sharply or gradually decreases to normal values.
Other symptoms
The following symptoms also appear in the baby:
- signs of apathy;
- heat;
- lack of appetite;
- synchronous vasodilation;
- dehydration and arrhythmia;
- pallor of the skin;
- labored breathing;
- lips with a touch of cyanosis;
- cold feet and palms.
It should be noted that white fever in a child is not a disease, it is a symptom of a disease that must be treated.
Identified signs indicate the activation of immunological protection, which is typical for a healthy body. Due to such mechanisms, early treatment occurs by coagulation of a foreign protein.
One cannot fail to say that at an elevated body temperature, a rather peculiar obstacle to the multiplication of all pathogenic microorganisms and foreign viruses quite quickly and successfully begins. After this, spontaneous suppression of their vital activity occurs, and then the attenuation of the activity of inflammatory foci.
Causes of occurrence
Why does white fever occur in a child? The reasons for this condition may be different.
If a baby suffers from such a condition before three months of life, then it can be a rather serious infection. In this case, hospitalization of the child and in-patient monitoring is necessary.
Other probable causes
Why can a baby have a white fever? Komarovsky E.O. suggests that this condition may be associated with:
- virus infection;
- acute period of infectious infection;
- the first days of the onset of acute respiratory diseases (including the upper respiratory tract);
- insufficient and inadequate treatment of microbial or bacterial infection of the systems of the child's body;
- somatic acute and chronic diseases of the baby.
It should also be said that, for medical reasons, such a fever can be a harbinger of pharyngitis, rhinitis, bacterial diseases such as otitis media, pneumonia, tonsillitis, inflammation of the middle ear or adenoiditis.
How to diagnose?
There are many ways to diagnose a disease that causes white fever. To do this, contact an experienced pediatrician.
With rubella, meningococcemia, scarlet fever, allergic reactions to antipyretics, the baby may develop a rash.
The causes of a febrile condition that are accompanied by a catarrhal syndrome can be rhinitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis, bacterial inflammation in the middle ear, severe forms of pneumonia and sinusitis.
From streptococcal and viral tonsillitis, as well as infectious mononucleosis and scarlet fever, fever almost always occurs, accompanied by angina.
With obstructive bronchitis, laryngitis, bronchiolitis, asthma attacks and inspiratory dyspnea, fever is manifested with shortness of breath.
A similar condition in a small patient can occur due to brain disorders in febrile seizures, encephalitis, and meningitis.
Acute intestinal infections are fairly easy to diagnose if the baby has diarrhea and fever.
If your child has a stomach ache, fever, and also vomits constantly, then perhaps these conditions are associated with a urinary tract infection or inflamed appendicitis.
With arthritis, rheumatism and urticaria, along with white fever, painful joint damage occurs.
If the cause of the fever is any serious illness, and your child has become too irritable and sleepy, you should immediately consult a doctor. The same applies to symptoms such as impaired consciousness, unwillingness to take fluids, hypo- and hyperventilation of the lungs.
White fever in a child: what to do?
If your baby has a fever and fever, he should immediately be reassured. The child needs to explain that he should not be afraid, feel a sense of panic and fear. Experts recommend telling the baby that this is how the protective reactions of his body are activated. Due to fever and fever, viruses and infections will go away very soon.
Before the doctor examines your baby, he should be given plenty of water. For this, warm fruit drinks, decoctions of herbs, compotes and juices are ideal. It is also very effective to wipe the body with a damp sponge.
After wiping, as well as fanning the patient, it should be well covered with a not very thick linen diaper. Also, special attention should be paid to the nutrition of the baby. Fever should not lead to exhaustion of the child and exhaustion of his strength.
The food you have prepared should be liked by the patient, but at the same time digest quickly and be easy.
Medications
What eliminates white fever in a child? The treatment for this condition depends on the disease. If in the process of diagnosis a baby has a bacterial infection, then he is prescribed an antibiotic. At the same time, antipyretic drugs are not used. This is due to the fact that they can mask the lack of antibiotic therapy results.
If the doctor nevertheless prescribed antipyretic drugs, then they should be selected with extreme caution. You must give your preference to those drugs that are harmless to the child's body, and not strong and effective. After all, the stronger the drug, the more toxic it is. You should also pay attention to how convenient its use.
The most popular antipyretic drugs today are such medicines as: Efferalgan, Paracetamol, Nurofen, Panadol and others.
Before giving the drug to the patient, it is imperative to read the instructions, and also to establish its dosage. By the way, very often a measuring cup or spoon is attached to children's medicines. Such devices have a graduation scale, which greatly facilitates the calculation of dosage.