The goal of pediatrician Juan A. Morales in one of his recent entries of the consultation without appointment, is 'make parents stop fearing their children's fever'. I have thought that this is a good time for all of us to understand that fever is a 'fastidious friend' that disappears in a matter of days, and with which we can learn to live together, instead of eradicating it.
Now is when we begin to relate to diseases that present with fever; and it is that the beginning of the classes increases the physical contact of the children with each other, there is also the stress that can affect the defenses, and in addition there is less time to start cooling. Fever is a symptom that reflects the body's defensive response to the presence of a foreign microorganismIn fact, the increase in temperature is intended to destroy the virus or bacteria that causes it. Therefore it is not dangerous, but it is also that the temperature reached does not matter (it is not worse to have 40 º than 38 º). And it really is that if there is a dangerous situation it is due to the cause of the fever (as it can be in the case of the bacteria that causes meningitis, which can cause a severe infection).
In children, fever is a symptom that almost always appears as a result of infections. In general, the most common infections that cause fever are caused by viruses, while in the least part of the cases they are caused by bacteria. The difference is that viruses will heal themselves in a few days, while bacteria will always need antibiotic treatment. In children under 3 years, the cause is almost always a virus, while after 3 years the proportion of bacterial infections increases, although viral causes continue to predominate. Luckily, the vast majority of these infections are banal, which means they will heal without any problem in a few days
What to do when there is a fever?
The first recommendation may be difficult to achieve, but it is very necessary: 'keep calm'. The most important thing is your general condition, and you don't even have to fight to lower the fever. If the child has a fever but is more or less happy (depending on the temperature rises and falls), if the skin color is the usual and also breathes well, plays and eats as usual in him, surely he will have nothing serious. It is a logical attitude wait quietly at home for a minimum of 48 hours, because as we have been told so many times in emergency consultations, before you can not know with certainty the cause of the fever, and then thereafter probably the picture is solved alone.
The author of the post maintains that 'If you did nothing, if you did not give your child any medication during the fever, its duration and evolution would be the same as if you gave any'.
Fever in general follow a clear and defined pattern: in the first 24/48 hours it is difficult to go down, and if it does it goes back up, from that moment it can be spaced in time and is easier to control, towards the fourth or fifth day from the beginning of the disease, there is usually no fever.
However, there are reasons to quickly consult the doctor
Fever in a baby less than 3 months: although it may still be a banal cause, at this young age babies do not focus infections as an older baby does. There is also a greater risk of sepsis by having a "more immature" immune system (to put it in some way).
Bad general state: A child who, even when the temperature drops, is still very down, apathetic or with inconsolable crying. Bad skin color (paleness).
Appearance in the skin of purple or violet spots, or petechiae (red spots on the skin, which when pressed do not "bleach").
Seizures
Vomiting or severe diarrhea.
Difficulty breathing.
What happens when there are seizures?
These do not happen whenever a child has a fever, although they can occur in children with a sudden change in temperature. can produce a massive electrical discharge of the neurons of the cerebral cortex. Nobody can know this predisposition beforehand, in practice the frequency increases in children between 12 and 36 months, and the responsibility will be of the predisposition, not of the feverish picture. It is important not to confuse these seizures with epilepsy, because they are not, neither do they leave neurological sequelae.
Regarding the medication, it should be remembered that the practice of alternating anti-thermal agents is not adequate because it does not shorten the duration of the fever, reaffirms the idea of lowering the temperature, and also increases the risk of overdosing. The usefulness of these medications is to reduce discomfort or discomfort associated with fever, and for that they are useful.
How Juan clarifies parents' own fear may be more dangerous than fever, but it is always due to ignorance, so it is worth being informed.
