A fever is a very common thing. People hardly pay consideration to the rising temperature and turn to home remedies. However, in some conditions, fever is very fatal and it is very important to pay attention to it.
It is a hard thing for a woman to be less apprehensive when her baby is crying and its temperature soaring. Although rising temperature or fever is a very common thing, many people hardly pay attention to it after turning to home remedies.
A fever is simply the elevation of the body’s temperature above normal and is part of the child’s defence against infection. But it rarely does harm. However, in some conditions, fever is very fatal and it is imperative to pay attention to it. Contrary to the popular belief, fever itself is not a disease. It, however, is a sign of disease. Fever, also called pyrexia, can be defined as a medical sign that is characterised by an increase in the body temperature over the common range.
The normal body temperature is between 36.5 and 37.5 °C. An increase above these set points is considered fever. Fever leads to shivering and increased muscle tone. As the body temperature increases, the body actually feels cold. A fever can be triggered by several conditions that are potentially serious and benign.
Generally, light fever is considered to be normal, and not something serious. But it could also be a symptom of an ongoing problem in the body. Fever could be as a result of an infection or stress sometimes. But in the children, when there is fever, an infection is usually considered.
Given that fever could also be a symptom of some major diseases, such as malaria, typhoid and many types of cancers, when a person has a continuous fever, he stated, that it was better that individuals go to the hospital rather than ignoring it.
When there is fever, it was better that such an individual assume there is a problem rather than ignoring it. The fever may actually end up becoming serious than we thought. That is why, especially in children, all cases of fever should be taken seriously.Paediatricians do not ignore the fear or concern of mothers about fever because studies have shown that when a mother says her child has fever, more often than not, she is right.
According to the expert, “in children below age six, when fever is high and it exceeds 38°C, they have the tendency to have convulsion. When a child has convulsion, especially when it occurs many times within a day, it could cause some degree of damage to the brain and that is why it is good to lower the body temperature when it is high. When there was a slight rise in body temperature, it was not necessary that children be given fever-lowering medicines.
“It is better to leave out the medicine, given the thinking that part of the body’s system to fight infection is the increase in the body temperature.
Increase in body’s temperature is actually the body’s response to infection, which is why fever is a symptom of an infection. The substances released in the course of the body fighting the infection results in the rise in the temperature. But the rise in the body temperature can be deleterious to the body. So lowering body temperature does not affect the body’s ability to fight infection, but it does prevent the child having other problems. Given fever-lowering medicines does not mean that the problem has been solved. “Given fever-lowering medicines alone is merely treating the symptom, leaving the cause of the problem. It is also not the time such a child should be covered up or made to wear sweater because sometimes the child may be having cold. Rather, the child should be exposed to allow the heat to be released into the environment. Mothers can also tepid sponge or bathe the child with lukewarm water to bring down the body temperature. Also, it is important to refrain from applying metholatum, anointing oil or hot balm as this would cover up the skin and prevent the dissipation of heat.
Nonetheless, fever is usually accompanied by other symptoms such as headache, vomiting, cough, breathlessness, rash, rapid breathing, tiredness and fits or seizures. For instance, fever with swelling can be a sign of meningitis. This requires prompt attention. Similarly, fever during pregnancy or right after recovering from a disease could also be a sign of something serious.
A gentle kiss on the forehead or a hand placed lightly on the skin is often enough to give a hint that a child has a fever. However, this method of taking a temperature (called tactile temperature) is dependent upon the person doing the feeling and doesn’t give an accurate measure of temperature. To measure the body’s temperature correctly requires a thermometer.
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