Surely, each of us remembers a picture from childhood in which a mother is standing over us with a thermometer in her hand and worried, she says you have a fever. Fever did not always cause anxiety and concern. In ancient times, it was believed that fever drove away bad mood was a source of satisfaction. In the Middle Ages, it was invoked specifically to fight infection. It is also surprising that Hippocrates knew more about fever than doctors did more than 100 years ago. Today’s medicine confirms what Hippocrates thought about fever – fever is a more positive than negative phenomenon, it has a destructive effect on germs attacking the body and posing a threat to humans. So it can be said that the ancients were right – fever does drive away bad moods. Currently, fever is considered as a defensive reaction of the immune system to infection.
Fever is a response to the attack of viruses, bacteria, fungi and causes white blood cells to secrete a hormone called interleukin, which then enters the brain and tells the pituitary gland to increase the body’s thermoregulation. It is most likely that the body then becomes more able to fight infection, it is possible that iron levels will drop and this, in turn, will deprive the bacteria of food. When viruses and fungi attack, fever increases the level of interferon, which has an antiviral effect.
Usually, your baby’s behavior tells you more about his condition than taking a temperature alone. A toddler may be very sick, have bronchitis or pneumonia and not have a fever, or have a very high fever with a common cold. Get to know your child, do not force him to lie down despite the higher temperature if he wants to play and has the strength to do so. Just make sure that this activity is not too much, as it can lead to overheating.
A very high fever in infants can sometimes cause convulsions and although it looks very drastic, the toddler tenses up, rolls his eyes, in few cases they are dangerous. The vast majority of cases of fever in toddlers are caused by various viral infections of a transient nature. They do not require treatment. Pediatricians do not recommend lowering the temperature then, because it is an indicator of how the infection is progressing.
Fever should be brought down when it exceeds 38,8. You can give various preparations for children to reduce fever, they also have an analgesic effect, cause that the toddler will be calmer, he will sleep better and thus the nervous mother will be able to calm down. If the disease is caused by bacteria, it needs antibiotic treatment. Antibiotics fight the infection while lowering the temperature. The complete opposite is fever caused by septic shock, which is bacteria and toxins in the blood. Such a fever requires immediate medical attention.
The lowest temperature is in the mouth and is about 35,9 at night, in the morning it is already 36,4 and slowly increases to 37 in the evening. Its slight increase may also occur during heat, physical exercise. The course of the fever itself and its duration depend on the disease it accompanies or the specificity of the organism. The most accurate temperature measurement can be made in the mouth, rectum, armpit and forehead. Special forehead patches or ear thermometers are available on the market. In a small child, the most reliable temperature is the one taken in the rectum, because it comes from inside the body. The normal temperature is 37,0 in the mouth, 37,6 in the rectum, 36,3 in the armpit.