How to deal with fever. A child has a high temperature: what to do? How to deal with high fever

Literally every person sometimes wonders how to bring down a high temperature at home. However, it is important to understand that high fever is not a dangerous symptom of the disease, but the result of the body's immune response, which fights viruses and bacteria in a natural way.

Therefore, first of all, it is worth determining whether it is worth lowering the temperature in a particular case.

And if a person’s normal temperature is 36.6-37.0 degrees, then lower and higher values ​​already indicate some changes in the body. Often you have to look for ways to raise the temperature, for example, during hypothermia. We encounter situations where the thermometer readings are higher than normal much more often. But if the elevated body temperature is satisfactorily tolerated by an adult who does not have chronic diseases, the temperature need not be lowered. Then the virus will “burn out” faster, and the disease will pass without complications.

Many pediatricians also do not recommend that strong children with normal immunity lower their temperature below 38.5-39 degrees. By overcoming the disease with one’s own strength, children’s immunity is literally strengthened “in battle.”

It is always necessary to urgently reduce the temperature in case of diseases of the heart, kidneys, lungs, neurological diseases, chills and aching joints and severe headaches. Most often, to urgently bring down the temperature, they resort to the help of antipyretics - today they are presented in a wide range.

But it is much more natural and safer for the body to bring down the temperature without resorting to pharmaceutical drugs. Sometimes it is enough to simply take a warm bath, or ventilate the room well, or simply uncover the sick person, wet the skin in the “warmest” places with water: the armpits, above the carotid artery, on the temples, elbow and popliteal areas. There are still debates about rubbing with vinegar or alcohol, they say, it is not known whether this completely unnecessary substance has time to be absorbed into the body through the skin, causing new intoxication, or whether it still completely evaporates during rubbing.

And even children are allowed to take diaphoretic teas with linden, honey or raspberries. For example, chamomile and currants have a good anti-inflammatory effect.

The most important rule for any disease accompanied by an increase in body temperature is to drink fluids, water, and warm teas as often as possible.

Of course, if traditional methods and antipyretic drugs do not help, you must urgently call an ambulance. Too “persistent” a temperature, at which you feel very bad, may indicate a serious degree of illness and the need to contact a medical facility. And of course, if a child gets sick, if not in the evening, be sure to call a doctor at home the next morning to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment.

“In the autumn-winter period, the number of colds and viral diseases increases significantly,” says a pediatrician in an interview with Echo. Afet Mirzoeva."Most often, acute respiratory diseases and acute respiratory viral infections are accompanied by elevated temperature. Feelings of heat, chills, thirst, general poor health - these are the main manifestations of elevated temperature. Seeing a temperature on the thermometer slightly higher than 36.6 degrees, people often immediately grab antipyretic drugs I advise you not to do this, because it is with the help of elevated temperature that the body fights the disease. At a temperature of 38 degrees, most pathogenic bacteria and viruses stop their development,” says A. Mirzoeva.

The doctor noted that if the temperature during ARVI does not exceed 37.5 degrees, then it should not be brought down. You can just drink warm tea with raspberries and go to bed. It's good to drink enough fluids and give your body a chance to heal on its own. However, if a person does not tolerate an increase in temperature, has a headache, severe chills and significant discomfort occurs, then it is necessary to take an antipyretic drug. At the same time, A. Mirzoeva noted that we should not forget that self-medication can be unsafe. And it’s better to entrust your health to professionals.

Meanwhile, as ShkolaZhizni.ru writes, if your cold is viral in nature, the same one for which doctors diagnose ARVI - an acute respiratory viral infection, high fever is your assistant. A virus that has entered the body multiplies best at temperatures from 35 to 36 degrees, stops reproducing at 38-38.5, and dies from 39 and above. In this case, drinking plenty of fluids will help ease your condition. It should not be hot, but warm. Pour a handful of viburnum berries and rowan berries with not very hot boiled water, add a spoonful of honey, stir and drink. At elevated temperatures, dehydration can develop and worsen the condition, so drinking warm herbal infusions or vitamin teas every two to three hours is a good idea.

Some vegetables and fruits help normalize the temperature quite well. For example, lemon. It is used both internally and externally. A tablespoon of lemon juice should be diluted with warm water and sweetened to taste. After drinking this, relief comes in about half an hour. You can wipe your body with lemon juice mixed with water. If the body reacts poorly to acid, lemon can be replaced with carrots. It needs to be grated on a fine grater and squeezed out the juice. You should drink it warmed, half a glass every half hour. Your local physician will probably prescribe you anticonvulsants in addition to antiviral drugs, vitamins and herbal remedies for colds. But you can help the body without additional stress on the liver. Remember when we were little, mom managed without a handful of pills on the nightstand by your bed. She always had alcohol and vinegar in her arsenal. When medical alcohol was not at hand, ordinary store-bought vodka was used. With gauze soaked in it, it is enough to wipe the patient’s body from head to toe, and change into dry clothes if the temperature is accompanied by profuse sweating.

Throughout his life, a person has to fight colds, viral diseases, and other ailments, accompanied by a rise in temperature to high levels. However, young children suffer the most from fever. While parents decide what to do, the possibility of seizures cannot be ruled out. Therefore, it is important to understand how and under what symptoms you need to bring down a high temperature. What medications should not harm the child, but help and alleviate his condition during illness.

What you need to know about high fever

For humans, fever symptoms are considered a protective reaction to the development of an inflammatory process in the body. A febrile state, increasing blood flow, activates the body's protective properties and accelerates the regeneration of tissue structures. An increase in temperature indicators is detrimental to bacteria and viruses, which lose their ability to reproduce in unfavorable conditions for them.

As temperatures drop, the overall response to infection is suppressed, making it more difficult for the body to fight inflammation. Doctors believe that a temperature that has risen to 38.5 °C should not be brought down, so as not to deprive the body of the ability to fight infection. What are the benefits of fever symptoms for a sick child:

• as the temperature rises, more protective proteins (interferons) are produced to mobilize the immune system;
• high temperatures activate local immunity, the synthesis of antibodies that neutralize harmful factors;
• fever symptoms increase the efficiency of phagocytosis, which activates the process of destruction of foreign microorganisms by cells of the immune system;
• When the temperature rises, there is a decrease in appetite, as well as physical activity to mobilize the digestive system to fight the infection.

Important! For children under five years of age, fever is dangerous due to the occurrence of convulsions, especially if they have been observed before or the child has severe pathologies of internal organs. Therefore, parents need to find out from the doctor in advance what to do if a fever appears.

Why is high temperature dangerous?

During a fever, breathing becomes faster and the child feels a lack of oxygen. Excessive sweating deprives the child's body of the required amount of fluid. The result is thickening of the blood, which disrupts the blood supply to the internal organs. In addition, the effectiveness of medications decreases due to drying out of the mucous membranes. Behavior changes, mood deteriorates, and children diagnosed with nervous disorders are at risk of febrile convulsions.

With a sharp jump in temperature, overheating occurs, accompanied by the development of hyperthermia syndrome. The pathology is dangerous for the child’s body; its result is a disruption of all systems, including the immune system, blood flow is disrupted, and the blood clotting rate changes. Hyperthermia threatens the development of disorders of the nervous system and disruption of the functions of all internal organs. Therefore, signs of fever in a small child must be actively combated.

What temperature is considered normal?

The temperature mark of 37 degrees is the average; for all people, as well as children, the range of temperature fluctuations is 35.9–37.5 degrees. Moreover, during the day the indicators, depending on a number of reasons, may be different.

A slight increase in temperature in the evening is not always considered a cause for concern about the child’s health. The situation may be explained by the abundance of food, the use of certain medications, and the characteristics of the age period.

When to bring down the heat

Variations in temperature in children do not always indicate the severity of the disease. For example, the development of a respiratory viral infection at the acute stage may be accompanied by a temperature of up to 40 °C against the background of normal well-being of the child. The response of a weakened child’s body to pneumonia may be a level not higher than 38°C.

Warning: you should not wait for critical temperature readings, and if it increases any time, call a doctor. After all, treatment tactics may vary depending on the temperature and accompanying symptoms.

To avoid the dangerous consequences of fever, the parents’ task is to correctly assess the child’s condition and provide pre-medical care. To do this, you need to figure out when the temperature should be lowered:

• at levels above 38 degrees, especially in a child under three years of age;
• for symptoms of difficulty breathing;
• when febrile seizures occur;
• with refusal to drink, diarrhea or vomiting.

Convulsions against the background of a feverish state usually do not pose a danger to the child; as the temperature drops, they go away on their own within a maximum of 15 minutes. You should be concerned if the attack is severe and there is no fever, this indicates a serious neurological disease.

How to properly help a patient

The task of parents is not to panic, but to immediately call a doctor. After all, convulsions are caused not by high temperature, but by its sharp rise. If the child does not have serious neurological pathologies, there will be no serious consequences of the convulsive state. We need to calm down in order to help and ensure his safety.

What to do:

• lay the patient on his side, which will protect him from saliva getting into the respiratory organs;
• clear the surrounding area of ​​objects that could cause injury;
• free the child from clothes so that they do not interfere with movements;
• monitor the baby’s condition without leaving him alone.

Important point! You should not even try to give a child experiencing seizures any antipyretic medications orally in tablets or syrups.

To reduce the temperature that accompanies a convulsive attack, it is convenient to use candles. Their action will have to wait 30-45 minutes, but the effect will be long-lasting. The face should be moistened with cold water if the child’s breathing becomes intermittent or signs of blue skin appear. In addition, you should write down how long the seizure lasted and what the convulsive manifestations were in order to provide information to the doctor.

Simple methods: how to help without using drugs

A person of any age with an elevated temperature is advised to take bed rest, as well as consult a doctor. After the patient has warmed up and the chills have stopped, body cooling procedures can help to effectively reduce the fever - rubbing with cool water, applying compresses to the forehead. To alleviate the condition, it is also important to observe a number of physical factors.

1. Comfortable temperature. In order to increase heat transfer, fresh air with an optimal temperature of + 20ºC must be provided to the room where the sick baby is located.
2. High humidity. We must not forget about humidity; dry air leads to drying out of the mucous membranes and loss of a large amount of moisture. Humidity within 60% would be ideal.
3. Cloth. You should not bundle up a sick child; clothing should be lightweight and open, this will guarantee increased heat transfer at high temperatures. But you should change your clothes often.
4. Drinking regime. Activating sweating should help the body lose heat, so the patient should drink a lot and often. This will help improve breathing and increase urination. But the drinks must be natural.
5. Diet. In order not to burden the body weakened by the disease, there is no need to force the baby to eat, because during the digestion of food the temperature rises. You will have to give up hot food and drinks.

Carefully! It has been proven that at high temperatures, the ancient method of wiping with a water-vinegar solution can help only for a short time. There is a danger of absorption of the components of the mixture through the skin, which will result in increased intoxication. In addition, children do not tolerate the smell of vinegar, which can cause spasms in the respiratory tract.

What antipyretics can be given to children?

If, after using physical methods of reduction, the indicators have not noticeably decreased, the help of antipyretics is needed. The medications should be prescribed by a pediatrician in the recommended pediatric dosage - tablets, syrups, rectal suppositories, injections. Of the recommended medications that can help children under the age of 12, the most effective are drugs based on Paracetamol, as well as Ibuprofen.

How to help a child in extreme cases when you have to wait a long time for a doctor? At particularly high temperatures, you can combine medications, but the interval between doses should not be less than 40 minutes. For example, if a child’s fever starts at night, they give one type of medicine. If the medication does not work within 40 minutes, you can give a child dose of the second drug, but this type of treatment is only until the doctor arrives.

What drugs are contraindicated for children?

Analgin	Treatment with metamizole sodium is dangerous not only for adults, but is contraindicated for children. A drug with high toxicity inhibits the process of hematopoiesis, although it has a stronger antipyretic effect
Aspirin	Taking acetylsalicylic acid for children under 12 years of age is prohibited due to possible bronchospasm, stomach ulcers, development of acute fatty liver, threat of death
Nimesulide	The use of the drug may result in severe liver damage for the child (toxic hepatitis). Therefore, the medicine is not given to children under 12 years of age, although the medicine can help quickly and significantly reduce the temperature

Important: a single dose of an antipyretic drug is calculated based on the child’s weight, as indicated in the instructions for each type of medicine. Young children should be given Paracetamol no more than 4 times a day, Ibuprofen - only 3 times a day. You should not sharply reduce your temperature with medications, so as not to provoke the appearance of febrile seizures.

The danger of white fever

Doctors say that fever is a defense mechanism that helps the body cope with the negative effects of viruses, and an increase in temperature helps to activate protective factors. But if the thermometer warns of high levels (up to 40 °C), the child’s skin becomes pale and the limbs become cold amid chills, parents should know that these are symptoms of “white fever.” An inadequate response of the body to the introduction of infection threatens the consequences of vasospasm.

The site provides reference information for informational purposes only. Diagnosis and treatment of diseases must be carried out under the supervision of a specialist. All drugs have contraindications. Consultation with a specialist is required!

Heat is a condition that can occur in both adults and children. In fact, high fever is primarily a symptom, not a disease. Therefore, there is a reason that provoked its increase, but more on that later.
So, what is high fever and how to deal with it?
.site) will try to answer you right now.

Fever in a child

Let's start with the fact that for a child of the first year of life, a body temperature of thirty-seven and a half degrees is considered normal. If it exceeds this indicator, then it’s time to “sound the alarm.” In general, there is an opinion that a child should not lower his temperature until it exceeds thirty-eight and a half degrees. This is explained by the fact that an increase in temperature is a kind of fight of the body against an infection that has broken into it. If the temperature rises, it means the body is struggling and vice versa. One can argue with these beliefs, since recent studies have proven that it is best to bring down a high temperature immediately. In principle, everyone has their own attitude to high temperature and almost all people have their own indicators of high temperature. For some, 37.7 degrees is normal, but for others it is a complete disaster.

How to deal with fever without antipyretics?

Let's figure out what to do if your face has an elevated body temperature. If you or your child has a fever, do not rush to bring it down with antipyretic medications. To get started, use the tools at hand. First of all, undress the child. Then take cool water, pour one tablespoon of vinegar into it and begin wiping the baby with the resulting solution. Lavender essential oil also works great against high fever. They also need to be rubbed down.

If this does not help, then use a cold wrap. Previously, this tool was used quite often. Today, very few parents know about it. So, put a woolen blanket on the sofa, and a terry towel on top of it. You will also need a large piece of linen cloth, which will need to be soaked in cold water and wrapped around the child. Wrap the baby in a dampened cloth, then in a terry towel, then wrap him in a blanket. It is advisable for the child to go to bed. After about an hour and a half, you will be able to observe a significant decrease in temperature. Don't forget to wash your baby and change his clothes.

Liquid is another means of reducing fever. The more the child drinks, the better. It is advisable that all liquid he consumes contains vitamin WITH, since it is this that promotes increased sweating. It could be lingonberry juice, tea with lemon, honey or raspberries. In such cases, it is very good to give tea with linden or rosehip. Really, whatever you have on hand will do. If possible, you can do a cleansing enema.

Antipyretics for high temperatures

If you have used all of the above remedies, but the child’s temperature remains the same, then you cannot do without antipyretic medications. There are quite a lot of these funds today. This is both paracetamol and viburkol, And panadol, And Ibufen and many others. These drugs are sold both in the form of suppositories and in syrup. Both forms are fairly easy to administer to a child. Moreover, all these preparations are endowed with a pleasant taste, which is why all children drink their syrup with pleasure.

In no case do not forget that if a child’s high temperature persists for more than three days, then be sure to call your family doctor. Treatment of all diseases that are accompanied by high fever is based both on the patient’s bed rest, proper nutrition and plenty of fluids, as well as on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and taking special medications.

Most of us perceive the rise in temperature with the same bewilderment as the fall of the Tunguska meteorite. Just yesterday, nothing predicted that a cosmic boulder would crash to Earth, but today the entire taiga is on fire - just like an organism in the fire of a fever. It's time to get to work, and you have 37.8° or even all 39.5°!

And what should you do now: swallow antipyretics and run to the office or lie down at home without losing your temperature? Moderate your work impulses and trust nature: let it take its toll!

Doctors call a temperature of 37–38° subfebrile, 38.1°–39° moderate, 39°–41° high, above 41° hyperthermic, and 42° critical for life. It rises because, having detected viruses or other pathogens in the body, cells of the immune system produce biologically active substances - pyrogens, which act on the thermoregulation center in the subcortical region of the brain (hypothalamus), temporarily increasing the temperature norm. As a result, the body begins to perceive the elevated temperature as normal.

The endocrine system is involved in this process, primarily the thyroid gland and adrenal glands. They secrete hormones that activate metabolism, change the condition of skin capillaries and cause contraction of small muscles, which we feel as chills. All this leads to an increase in temperature, which is necessary to fight infection. This process usually takes place in three stages. At first, heat production (heat production) prevails over its release. Then the temperature stabilizes at a certain level, since heat production is balanced by heat transfer due to the dilation of skin vessels, frequent breathing and increased sweating. And finally, heat transfer begins to exceed its production, due to which the temperature decreases gradually or sharply (its rapid drop is called a crisis).

Lately, classic temperature curves are becoming less and less common, because when we get sick, we begin to swallow handfuls of antibiotics and antipyretics even when we could do without them.

Before you take anything, figure out what kind of fever you have - pink or pale?

If the mercury column on the thermometer has reached high values, and there is no increase in heat transfer, we are talking about pale fever. The subcutaneous vessels are in a state of spasm, so the face and body remain pale and cold to the touch, and all the heat is concentrated inside and cannot find a way out. It is very dangerous! In such cases, you cannot limit yourself to antipyretic drugs alone - special treatment is required, which will be prescribed by a doctor. But pink fever, in which heat production is balanced by heat loss, is much easier: you can cope with it yourself without any medications!

Safety precautions
1. Do not lower your temperature if it does not go beyond 38.5–39°, your fever is in the pink category, you have a healthy heart, are not prone to seizures and you tolerate your condition well. This is a natural protective reaction of the body: do not deprive it of an effective weapon against viruses! Start fighting it as soon as the mercury rises to 39°.

Pale fever? Start antipyretic measures from 38°! Those who are at risk (tendency to seizures, heart disease and other ailments) should lower their temperature from 38° for pink fever and from 37.5° for pale fever.

2. Do not abuse paracetamol-based antipyretics. Take them in moderate doses indicated in the instructions for these drugs, and for no longer than 3 days in a row, with plenty of water. At the end of the day and before bed, stop taking the quick-dissolving effervescent tablets if you don't want to get kidney stones.

3. Be careful with acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin)! First, it increases the risk of hemorrhages and bleeding from the flu. Secondly, research by scientists at Boston Medical Center (USA) has shown that this medicine stimulates the release of viruses from nasal mucus and thereby makes you especially dangerous to others. Thirdly, in half of the healthy inhabitants of the Earth, the drug causes swelling and swelling of the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract, and in allergy sufferers and asthmatics it can provoke bronchospasm. Don't take unnecessary risks - try to cope with fever without medication!

A blue light bulb will help curb your fever. Screw it into the lamp, place it at the head of the head and wait for the effect within 10 minutes. Don't have the right color lamp on hand? Use a blue lampshade or scarf.

Reducing the degrees
* Apply wet towels to your forehead, temples, wrists and palms. Change them every 2-3 minutes.

* Lie down in a bathtub filled a quarter full with lukewarm water (34–35°) and take turns moistening your arms, legs, and body with a sponge. Once cooled, wrap yourself in a terry towel, but do not dry yourself. Repeat the procedure if the temperature starts to rise again. Make sure it doesn't go down too quickly!

*Take 10 calcium gluconate tablets throughout the day. This important macronutrient is actively consumed during fever. To neutralize an internal environment that has become overly acidic due to inflammatory products and toxins, the body borrows calcium from bones and muscles. That is why a sharp rise in temperature is accompanied by aches throughout the body.

If the temperature rises sharply, and you feel chills and can’t warm yourself up, your hands and feet are icy, cover yourself with a blanket, drink several glasses of hot diaphoretic tea and apply heating pads to your palms and soles. This will help expand the narrowed blood vessels of the skin, causing a rush of blood and increasing heat transfer.

When you warm up, begin to bring down the heat with traditional “grandmother’s” remedies: rub the body with vodka or 3% vinegar half diluted with water, somaton - it cools the body, quickly and effectively reduces the temperature, or you can just use water (during the procedure, undress and do not rush to wrap up some time after it).

Sultry crisis
With a sharp decrease in high temperature (from 39°–40° to 36°), blood pressure and cardiac activity drop just as sharply.

At this moment, the palms and soles become icy, the lips turn blue, the skin becomes covered with cold sticky sweat, and loss of consciousness is possible. This state is called a crisis. Do not get out of bed under any circumstances - this may cause you to faint!

Ask your family to put warm heating pads around you, cover you with blankets and bring you a cup of strong tea or coffee.

Has the bed become wet from sweat? It needs to be changed immediately. A set of terry or linen underwear is best suited - it absorbs moisture well and does not get wet as quickly as chintz and calico.