If you hear the plaintive whimpering of your baby and see that he is somehow unusually lethargic or blushed, then the first thing you will measure his temperature. Seeing that the child has a fever, you, of course, start to worry. But how great is the danger if children have a high fever? Is it always necessary to sound the alarm if the temperature does not go astray in the child?
In the USA, an interesting study was conducted among parents in one of the Children's Centers in Baltimore. Here are its results:
• The vast majority of parents believe that even a relatively low body temperature in a child can cause a functional impairment in the form of a seizure or brain damage.
• Almost 90% of parents resort to an antipyretic agent at a temperature of less than 38.9 ° C and continue to use such drugs if the temperature does not go astray in the child.
To understand what to do, it is important to find out the role of temperature.
Why is the temperature rising?
Normal temperature, as you know, when measured in the oral cavity is 37 degrees. Throughout the day, the temperature can fluctuate by several tenths of a degree. Every mother knows that by the evening the temperature rises, and in the morning she will be the lowest in the child.
The temperature is regulated by a very important organ - the hypothalamus. It acts like an automatic thermostat. When the immune system releases pyrogenic substances into the blood in response to the entry of viruses and bacteria into the body, the body temperature rises automatically and the hypothalamus itself adjusts to the mode of maintaining the child’s temperature at an elevated level.
High temperature exhausts and causes dehydration, but it is not always a danger. Low temperature is a favorable environment for pathogens of respiratory diseases. High temperature is a key factor in the war of an organism with harmful organisms. A slight increase in a child's body temperature helps his body fight.
Doctors advise: a small temperature does not go astray in a child, as it contributes to a natural protective mechanism. If this advice seems a little frightening to you, think about this: a method called hyperthermia has been successfully used by doctors and is a treatment with an artificial increase in body temperature.
However, fever indicates infection. Remembering that quite rarely, high temperature is dangerous in itself, focus not on the reading of the mercury column of the thermometer, but on the condition of the child himself.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that if the child does not suffer from febrile seizures or a serious chronic illness, and feels relatively normal, then the temperature does not stray up to 38.3 degrees in the child!
What to do if the temperature rises?
Of course, you can help your baby with an increase in his body temperature.
• Give the sick child more fluid (water, soup, fruit juice, diluted with water). Avoid drinks containing caffeine: cola and black tea. Such drinks have a diuretic effect and contribute to dehydration.
• Infants should continue breastfeeding.
• Dress your child in light clothing, as overheating of the body increases heat.
• Create a cool atmosphere in the room.
• Do not feed a temperamental child difficult to digest food, as the temperature of the stomach makes it difficult to work.
• Do not panic.
What to do - the temperature does not drop?
If, nevertheless, in spite of your actions, the high temperature does not go astray and rises higher than 38.9 degrees, then you should give your child an antipyretic drug - paracetamol or ibuprofen, which are sold without a prescription. Observe the dosage indicated on the package itself. Remember that children under 2 years of age without a doctor should not be given such medicines on their own. Do not use aspirin, which in children under 16 years of age can cause Reine syndrome.
Rubdowns reduce fever. The child needs to be put in a bath in which warm water is poured at the bottom, and you need to wipe it with a sponge. Alcohol should never rub children - it can cause a toxic reaction.