One of the things that parents carry worse in reference to our children is the disease. They are bad, they cry, they ask for help and you would like to do something as soon as possible so that they will be the same as before. That as soon as possible intends to alleviate their suffering, and by the way to be more calm you, because when they are bad you feel that you lose control of your health, but it is not recommended if we talk, for example of fever.
The fever is a symptom, the sign that a child has an infection by a virus or a bacterium, but it is also a solution to that infection. Therefore, if your child is at 38ºC of fever (100.4ºF), pediatricians insist that you not take them to the doctor, which is not a reason for consultation or a reason to give the child any medication.
Parents who mediate 37ºC (98.6ºF)
Fever is a symptom, not a disease, and so it should not be treated as soon as possible because in reality help children heal before. There are parents who, to whom the child is 37 ° C, are already giving something to lower those few tenths, the child is as he is (now I talk more about this).
The Nisa 9 de Octubre Hospital, in Valencia, has recently conducted a survey of parents, as they saw that one of the most frequent reasons for consultation was fever, especially in babies until the year of life. In this survey, half of the parents consider that fever is a beneficial reaction for the bodyHowever, when it appears, most treat it to lower the temperature.
Given this situation, Mariam López, supervisor of the study, and in words to Mallorca Diario, said:
We are very attracted to the opposing opinions that we have observed in the conclusions of the study, because despite the fact that a large part of the respondents consider fever as a beneficial reaction of the organism, the first measure they take against it is to administer a Anti-thermal drug, either by prescription or in most cases on their own. And this self-medication often implies a bad administration of the drugs with the consequent problems that this entails.
Do not ask for time for your pediatrician
Fever is a defense mechanism against viruses and bacteria. When there is an infection, the body gets hot because with a higher temperature the pathogen is "killed" before. Children who are allowed to have a fever take less days to get well because they have a better immune system response. If every time the body heats up a little we lower the fever, the child will be calmer, but his illness will remain there, more easily to stay longer.
Unless…
Do not ask for time for your pediatrician, pediatricians at Nisa Hospital October 9 recommend unless:
- The fever is above 40ºC (104ºF).
- The child has 4 or more days with fever.
- The child is less than 3 months old.
As parents we are much scarier than doctors and many ask for time for the pediatrician 3 minutes after realizing that he has a few tenths, perhaps we would have to look for a midpoint (for our heart health, that I see my child with 40ºC and it gives me something). For example, if a child has a fever of hours of evolution, it is absurd to go to the pediatrician because in most cases it is impossible to know the focus of the fever. That is why a middle term for parents, in my opinion, would be to go to the pediatrician in case:
- The fever is above 39ºC (102.2ºF), or if we see that it rises rapidly: a Very high or fast-rising fever can cause febrile seizures, which is a benign condition, but parents are very scared.
- The child has 2 or more days with fever.
- The child is less than 3 months old.
Babies under 3 months are especially fragile and in case of fever you have to take them directly to the hospital, so that they do the opportune analyzes.
Treat fever with common sense: pay attention to the child, not the thermometer
The thermometer is a very useful indicator because it can tell us how high the child's temperature is, but it is not only the thermometer that should be heeded, but also, and especially to the child.
I mean by this that I have also given my children an anti-thermal when they were 37 ° C, but not because they were only 3 tenths, but because they cried and were sick. If other times I have found them like this and I have seen them well, encouraged, I have not given them anything. I have done the same when I have seen them at 38ºC or at 39ºC. If they have been calm, I have left them without giving them anything and I have been controlling the temperature for a while, but if I see them "chafados", crying, asking for help, then yes.
That's why in reality, when we talk about children and fever, you have to pay attention to the child, not the thermometer. So the child will thank you and, if he has a high fever but is fine, his immune system will thank you.
What if it is a baby?
If you are a baby of up to 3 months forget everything mentioned so far. If you have a fever, you have to go directly to the hospital, because you have to know where the fever comes from and control the focus of infection. In those ages the risk of complications from an infection is much higher and that is why it makes no sense to have the baby at home with a fever.
