High body temperature in children
All children are exposed to high temperature of their bodies at least once in their lifetime, as evidence of an imbalance in the body, such as infection, for example, the rise in temperature as a natural reaction to this imbalance.
Fever is a warning to parents that their child has an illness, but it does not pose a danger to the child’s normal life. When you notice any difference in the child, such as becoming idle or sweating profusely, his head, stomach, or back is warmer than usual, or if the redness of his cheeks is observed, parents should start measuring his body temperature.
The reading of the body temperature varies according to the location of the thermometer, and anal measurement is the most accurate method. The child has fever if the reading is more than 38 ° C, the measurement under the armpit is less accurate but the easiest methods of measurement, Read it at 37.2 ° C. Oral reading can also be obtained especially in children older than five years, with a reading temperature greater than 37.8 ° C, and other sites for measuring body temperature, such as ear and forehead.
Causes of high temperature in children
The high temperature is usually divided into two parts: a sharp rise and a chronic height, depending on the length of the height, and also the age of the patient. The sharp rise lasts for less than seven days and often results in infection. For more than that period, and has reasons other than infection. The pathological causes of each type are as follows:
- Acute hyperthermia: Most cases of this type are caused by infection of the viral infection in both the respiratory system, such as leaching and influenza, and the digestive system, in addition to some bacterial infections, such as otitis media, sinusitis, inflammation of the urinary tract, and inflammation Pneumonia.
- There are also some unsatisfactory conditions that may cause high temperature in children, such as teething, which rarely causes a rise above 38 ° C, as well as high temperature after taking the vaccine, as the rise continues briefly between a few hours and one day, and caused some Cannabis lasts for a day or two. Newborns are more likely to be infected with more serious forms of infection, such as meningitis, pneumonia and septicemia, because their immune system is not fully developed.
- Chronic body temperature rise: This type has many infectious and non-aerobic causes, but it is often caused by a long-term viral infection or more than one consecutive infection. Infections that may cause chronic fever are hepatitis, sinusitis, pneumonia, tuberculosis, osteitis, and inflammation of the heart tissue, as well as parasitic or bacterial infections of the digestive system. The causes of non-infectious diseases of the chronic rise of the temperature of the child, especially Kawasaki disease, and the imbalances in the connective tissue, as well as cancer tumors such as leukemia and lymphoma.
Treatment of high temperature in children
Most home-warming cases are treated by taking several steps and you do not need access to the hospital. The treatment of high temperature in children is as follows:
- Home treatment for high temperature: This type is aimed at achieving three goals:
- Control of high temperature: After measuring the temperature of the child properly, it is recommended to give antihypertensive drugs, such as acetaminophen Acetaminophen and ibuprofen Ibuprofen, it is better to continue to give these drugs at intervals of a whole day, and avoid the use of Aspirin aspirin to reduce the temperature of the child; Liver failure in some children. Parents should wear their children in light clothing from one layer and cover them with a blanket, not wearing heavy or heavy clothing if indoors, even if the weather is cold, and the baby shower may be used with warm water to relieve fever, it reduces the heat quickly, In reducing the temperature of the child for causing many problems.
- Preventing the child from becoming infected: High body temperature causes the body to lose fluids through the skin and lungs. In the event of dehydration, the child has signs such as dry mouth, little or no tears, and the child’s eyes are closed. In order to prevent this condition, care must be taken to drink large amounts of water, especially soup, or oral fluids, which are sold in pharmacies. The child should also be prevented from drinking caffeinated beverages such as coffee and tea. It is necessary to check with your doctor if the high temperature is accompanied by the child suffering from vomiting or diarrhea, which means that the loss of larger amounts of fluid.
- Observe the appearance of the child and his actions: After making sure to reduce the temperature of the child and give him sufficient amounts of fluids begins to improve the child, but if the child appears to be the disease despite the previous steps, or if he refused to eat and drink, or if the behavior has changed, it This indicates a more serious problem, so go to the doctor.
- Medical procedures to treat the high temperature in children: There are many medical procedures that follow in the event of a child illness caused by high temperature, and vary according to the target desired. Because most cases of high fever are caused by viral infection, they do not need treatment and do not respond to antibiotics, which in turn are used to treat bacterial species of infection, such as urinary tract infection or ear infection. The most important drugs used in the treatment of fever fever, and may be used to give the child intravenous fluids if drought. It should be noted that a child with meningitis is required to enter the hospital.
Cases that require a doctor
Children often experience high fever and disappear without risking their lives, but this depends primarily on the type of imbalance that causes the increase. Parents should quickly take their child to the doctor if they notice that he or she has difficulty breathing, or becomes very weak and does not respond to them, or if his lips or skin appear blue, or if the height of his suffering from vomiting, and complained of pain in the head or spasm In the neck, or suffered seizures. The cases where the doctor should be consulted are as follows:
- If the patient is newborn, he is less than three months old and the anal measurement to his temperature indicates more than 38 ° C, regardless of the child’s activity.
- For children older than three months, if the height is above 38 ° C by anal measurement, if the increase continues for more than three days, or if the child appears signs of the disease severely.
- If the temperature of the child reached the age of more than 40 degrees Celsius.
- If the child has a thermal spasm, it affects children between the ages of six months and six years, if they have a temperature of more than 38 degrees Celsius.
- If the child has a rash.
- If the child experiences a recurrence of fever several times within seven days.
- If the child is already suffering from other chronic diseases, such as heart disease or sickle cell anemia.