Normal body temperature (TT) in infants and children of different ages is about 36.4 ° C, but it may fluctuate slightly. When the thermometer is 38 degrees or more, the temperature is considered elevated, at which fever can occur. The following symptoms indicate its presence in a child:
- parts of the body such as the forehead, back, or abdomen feel hotter than usual
- sweat has come out or the body has become clammy;
- flushed cheeks.
The child has a high temperature
What should parents do in this case? They must measure TT with a thermometer. This will help you decide if you need to call a doctor for medical advice and assistance.
Here is a quick overview with which you can quickly classify the measured temperature correctly:
- 36.5-37.5 ° C - normal body temperature of a healthy child;
- 37.6-38.5 ° C - high temperature;
- 38.6 ° C and above - high temperature.
Attention! You need to measure TT in a healthy child several times during the day. Firstly, this way you can find out what the basic TT of the child is, and secondly, you can find that the TT changes during the day. Depending on activity, ambient temperature and time of day, TT fluctuates within 0.5 ° C, and the temperature is higher in the evening than in the morning.
Sometimes parents start to panic and give antipyretics even if there are no symptoms that indicate SARS or flu. However, it would not hurt them to figure out when to pay attention to an increased TT, and when not.
Note. If a child has a high temperature (from 39 degrees and above) for more than a day, and antipyretic drugs do not help, it is imperative to call a doctor, and not self-medicate.
If the temperature lasts a week
Having a fever is usually a sign that a child's body is trying to fight off infections such as coughs, colds, or any other irritant. The body mobilizes its defense mechanisms. Red blood cell production is increased to help fight infection.
This is a natural defense mechanism of the body, there is often no need to see a doctor.Typical causes of fever:
- reaction to the vaccine;
- cold;
- otitis;
- urinary tract infections;
- croup;
- chicken pox;
- viral infection;
- tonsillitis.
If, while the body is fighting the infection, you start giving medications, it can do more harm than benefit.
Why do children have hyperthermia?
According to medical statistics, it is quite common for babies and toddlers to get sick or feel unwell. The body adapts to its environment, which is why some diseases are common during the first year of life. Fortunately, most of these diseases are neither serious nor dangerous. Therefore, if you have any doubts or problems, you should seek the help of a pediatrician. This will be the best solution for both the baby and the parents.
Attention! Parents should know that before starting to respond to TT above 38 degrees, they need to find out why it appeared, and not start treating the baby themselves. The diagnosis can only be made by a doctor. He will also prescribe the necessary treatment.
When a child has a temperature for a week and does not go astray, weakness and drowsiness appear, this may be a sign of the onset of pneumonia. It happens that noises in the lungs are not heard, and only an X-ray confirms this diagnosis. Also, TT up to 39 degrees gives purulent otitis media, which can occur in some children without symptoms and ear pains.
A high TT, which is not knocked down by antibiotics, may indicate a latent inflammatory process. If a child has a temperature of 37 ° C for a week without a reason, he must be fully examined, for this he must pass detailed blood and urine tests.
In children, pyelonephritis, an infectious and inflammatory kidney disease caused by a bacterial nature, can give a fever for one to two weeks. It is dangerous to treat pyelonephritis on your own. Without proper treatment, this condition can have serious consequences. Therefore, one should not postpone a visit to a specialist, call emergency help at a high temperature. To clarify the diagnosis, the doctor will prescribe a general and detailed blood and urine tests.
Diagnostics of the pyelonephritis
How long TT remains within 37-38 ° C with pyelonephritis depends on the general condition of the child's body and on the form in which the disease is diagnosed in the child. However, in any form of the disease, hyperthermia lasts at least one week, quite often starting with renal colic.
Sometimes pyelonephritis develops in the context of another inflammatory disease such as cystitis or respiratory disease. With proper therapeutic treatment, the duration of temperature phenomena is limited to several weeks. Renal overload and the transition from an acute form of the disease to a chronic one should not be allowed. In this form, hyperthermia can last up to two months.
Important! During treatment, children need to give up physical activity and active games, observe emotional peace and rest in bed.
Causes of hyperthermia in children
Sometimes in children, TT asymptomatically rises to 38 ° C. This can serve as both an indicator of the pathological processes occurring in the body and a protective reaction of the body to an external stimulus. Thus, the TT, which has risen to 38 degrees, is not the cause of the disease, but the reaction of the body in an attempt to cope with the disease. Experts believe that by removing the temperature prematurely or inappropriately, due to fear or ignorance, parents deprive the child of the opportunity to quickly and effectively fight their illness.
Increased TT causes a whole cascade of immunological reactions in the body, which adds self-acquired immunity to the innate part of the immune system. A strong immune system is created by actively combating the disease by the child's body itself, and not by preventing this fight with antipyretic pills. However, parents repeatedly violate this principle.
Non-disease causes of hyperthermia
- Overheating of the baby's body, in which there is a violation of the thermal balance and difficulty in natural heat transfer. Babies do not yet have a sufficiently developed sweating system, so they quickly overheat if wrapped up. Children are advised to drink during hot weather.
- Most often, hyperthermia occurs in children during the eruption of incisors (from 6 to 12 months), as well as at the age of one and a half years, when molars are erupting. The temperature can rise to 39 ° C and keep for a week. After the eruption of a tooth, it begins to subside, becoming normal.
- Hypothermia sometimes occurs after being vaccinated. This is not a disease, but the body's response to vaccination. Not all children have the same reaction, but those with fever do not last long (up to a maximum of four days). You can give an antipyretic agent, agreeing on which one, with a pediatrician, and a heavy drink is also recommended for a fever patient.
Temperature after vaccination
- An allergic reaction of a child's body to new food and berries may be accompanied by an increased temperature. In this case, an urgent need to consult a doctor, since the body's reaction to TT is more than 38 degrees against the background of allergies, it may be accompanied by anaphylactic shock.
- Violent joy or stress can cause a temperature rise of up to 38 degrees in children 5-7 years of age.
All of the above examples of hyperthermia occur within a week. Parents of toddlers and older children are concerned about the question, in which case a temperature of 37, not associated with a disease in a child, can last more than a week?
An increase in body temperature does not always indicate a disease. For no apparent reason, children experience an increase in it, which lasts more than one day. There are no symptoms of the disease, the tests are normal. A long-term temperature above 37 degrees may be due to a malfunction of the hypothalamus, which is responsible for thermoregulation of the body. Failure can occur at any age. The most common problem in the hypothalamus occurs in children during puberty. Along with fever, they may have headaches, irritability and insomnia.
The second example of observation in children for a long period of subfebrile temperature (within 37.1-38.0) is with helminthic infection. In this case, the doctor must give a referral for the delivery of general tests of blood, urine and feces.
Traumatic brain injury often causes hyperthermia. Sometimes the temperature of 37 degrees lasts more than two weeks. This is due to damage to the part of the brain that is responsible for thermoregulation. As soon as the body recovers, the symptom disappears.
Diseases accompanied by low-grade fever
The main causes of low-grade fever in children can be the following diseases:
- ARI;
- poisoning, accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea;
- measles;
- chicken pox;
- rubella;
- mumps (mumps);
- cystitis;
- otitis;
- infection.
If the temperature in children with these diseases lasts more than a week, you need to see a doctor. It is difficult even for an experienced specialist to diagnose a child's fever. The diagnosis can be facilitated by identifying other symptoms besides subfebrile TT. To determine the diagnosis, a full examination and consultation of pediatricians, otolaryngologists, infectious disease specialists, phthisiatricians, cardiologists and oncologists will be required.
The temperature lasts more than a week
Usually, to establish a diagnosis of a disease accompanied by a long time with an elevated temperature, a specialist will prescribe specific types of tests based on the history and concomitant clinical picture.When diagnosing, it is necessary to undergo the following studies:
- blood test (general, biochemical, sugar and coagulation);
- urine analysis (in general, according to Nechiporenko, with the interpretation of salts);
- Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity (kidneys, pelvis, digestive organs);
- examination of the heart and blood vessels (ultrasound, ECG, Doppler);
- X-ray and fluorography;
- determination of antibodies, analyzes for tumor markers, pathogens and a narrower set of diagnostic procedures (if necessary).
TT of a child can be subfebrile for a long time due to endocrine system disorders. In most cases, hormonal imbalances can be caused by a malfunctioning thyroid gland.
When to seek help
An elevated temperature, which lasts more than three days in children, if aggravating symptoms of the course of the disease appear, should be a reason to call an ambulance at home. These symptoms include:
- TT is above 39.5 degrees;
- against the background of high TT, vomiting opened, spasms of the muscles of the cervical spine, a sharp headache, which did not allow to tilt the chin to the chest;
- fever is accompanied by a sharp pain in the stomach;
- barking dry cough, as a symptom of narrowing of the larynx;
- the appearance of seizures.
If the thermometer reads below 38 degrees, you should not give your child antipyretic drugs. The body itself tries to cope with viruses and bacteria. If the fever is causing discomfort, you can reduce or get rid of its symptoms by:
- applying wet compressors to forehead, wrist and calf;
- rubbing the body with water, a weak solution of vodka or vinegar;
- it is necessary to cool the body by removing excess clothing and a blanket.
Helping a child with a high temperature
In conclusion, it should be noted that a temperature of 37 degrees in the absence of other symptoms of the disease is often observed in young children. Their body is still forming, so any foreign substance in it can cause a rise in temperature.
There are situations in which an asymptomatic rise in temperature above 37 degrees requires the use of antipyretic drugs. For example, in young children with congenital immune disorders, temperature reactions can worsen their condition and therefore require treatment. If a child has seizures during a fever, minor changes in health may trigger another seizure. In such a situation, the doctor prescribes antipyretic drugs.
