{"id":3904,"date":"2023-11-22T14:16:56","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T13:16:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.poliklinika-salvea.hr\/?p=3904"},"modified":"2024-06-04T14:11:01","modified_gmt":"2024-06-04T12:11:01","slug":"elevated-body-temperature-in-children-what-to-do-when-a-child-has-a-fever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.poliklinika-salvea.hr\/en\/elevated-body-temperature-in-children-what-to-do-when-a-child-has-a-fever\/","title":{"rendered":"Elevated body temperature in children: what to do when a child has a fever?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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W<\/span>e consider an elevated body temperature in a child above 37.2\u00b0C measured under the armpit (axillary temperature), or 37.8\u00b0C measured in the hindgut (rectal temperature) or in the ear (tympanic temperature). It warns us about the existence of a certain disease, in children most often of infectious origin.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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When to measure a child's temperature?<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Always when the child seems warmer than usual, when \u00a0he or she is calmer, irritable and tearful, has a poor appetite and with the presence of signs of illness (e.g. severe sniffling, coughing, diarrhea or vomiting, rash, headache or the like).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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How to measure a child's temperature correctly?<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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In the first year of a child’s life, it is recommended to measure the rectal temperature – the narrower part of the thermometer is placed about 2 cm into the opening of the hindgut and kept there as long as the temperature on the thermometer rises (usually it takes 2 to 3 minutes).<\/span><\/p>

In older children, we usually measure axillary, by placing the narrow part of the thermometer in the centre of the previously dried armpit and placing the hand next to the body. The required measurement time is about 10 minutes.<\/span><\/p>

Measurement with an ear thermometer is not recommended in infants, especially in children younger than 6 months, due to the possible imprecise measurement resulting in a narrower ear canal, while in older children it may be unreliable in the case of a cerumen plug in the ear canal.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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When to lower children's temperature?<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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In principle, it is recommended to start lowering the temperature in children when it is above 38\u00b0C measured under the armpit or 38.5\u00b0C rectally. However, given that elevated body temperature is one of the ways in which the body deals with infectious disease agents, primarily by improving the function of the immune system, the need to lower the temperature is best assessed individually. Children who are lively, have no pain, behave properly and tolerate a high temperature well should not be given an antipyretic immediately.<\/span><\/p>

On the other hand, for the youngest children (up to 12 months of age) and the older ones who have severe accompanying symptoms such as muscle pain, headache, lethargy, poor appetite and malaise, we can start lowering the body temperature even before reaching the specified values.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Why do we lower the temperature in children?<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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In addition to alleviating the previously mentioned accompanying symptoms of fever, by lowering high temperature values in children, we reduce the possibility of other unwanted consequences, primarily dehydration (increased fluid loss) or febrile convulsions (a seizure during which the child loses consciousness and turns blue), usually lasting several seconds to minutes, especially in the youngest children.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Povi\u0161ena