Fever myths: How high a fever can damage the brain? The truth is…

You must have heard others say

A child's fever may damage his brain

So how many degrees will it burn out the brain?

I didn't become a genius and soar to the sky.

Is it because I became stupid when I was a child?

Headache and fever are common recently

The situation for children is even worse.

Questions about children's fever

Let me make it clear in one article today!

If we have to give an indicator, it would probably be that only when the body temperature exceeds 41.5℃, would the brain be damaged due to excessive fever.

In other cases, as long as it is a normal fever, even a "high fever" of 39 degrees Celsius, it is only considered a normal temperature and will not damage the brain. So whether you are smart or not when you grow up has nothing to do with fever, so don't make excuses.

This answer may be completely different from many people's impressions. After all, a body temperature of 41.5℃ is hard to hear at normal times, let alone encounter it. We have often heard that some people became "stupid" when they had a fever when they were young. What is going on here?

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In fact, everyone has completely reversed the cause and effect. It is not the fever that damages the brain, but the diseases that damage the nervous system that cause fever symptoms.

For example, children infected with Neisseria meningitidis, Japanese encephalitis virus, etc. may suffer from meningitis, which can cause damage to the nervous system, and these diseases will also cause fever when they occur.

In this process, fever is only a symptom, not a cause.

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Of course, this does not mean that children’s fever will not damage their brains, so we don’t have to worry about it. The physical discomfort caused by children’s fever is real, such as lack of energy, loss of appetite, convulsions, etc. At the same time, children’s fever may also be a manifestation of other diseases, such as the recent hot mycoplasma pneumonia and influenza.

Therefore, children’s fever should be taken seriously. If the situation is serious, such as unconsciousness or persistent high fever, the child should be sent to the doctor immediately.

38.5℃ is the body temperature watershed in the eyes of many parents, because based on the degree of fever divided by axillary temperature, 38.5℃ is no longer considered a low fever.

Low fever: <38℃

Moderate fever: 38-39°C

High fever: 39.1-40℃

Hyperthermia: >41°C

Many people think that medication is needed when the temperature is above 38.5℃, but not when it is below 38.5℃. This is actually wrong. Because antipyretics are mainly used to relieve symptoms, whether to use them depends mainly on the child's comfort.

If the child is in good spirits, or sleeps soundly, and does not suffer from lethargy, muscle aches, persistent high fever, or other discomfort, then even if the temperature exceeds 38.5℃ for a short time, you can temporarily not take medicine and continue to observe; if the child obviously feels uncomfortable, you can take medicine even if the temperature does not reach 38.5℃.

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Fever means the child's body is dealing with pathogens in the body. Generally, the temperature will drop by itself later, so don't worry too much. If you want to make your child feel more comfortable, you can use some physical fever-reducing methods to help reduce the temperature, such as:

Increase water intake

When you have a fever, your body will lose a lot of water, so you can increase your water intake appropriately.

Warm water bath

When the armpit temperature exceeds 38℃, you can try a warm water sponge bath. But you can't just wipe everywhere! Mainly wipe the neck, armpits, back and groin, avoid the chest and abdomen, and the water temperature should not be too high, controlled at around 35℃.

Ice pack cooling

The places where ice packs are placed are similar to those for warm water baths, mainly on the neck, armpits, groin, elbows, etc. Note that the ice packs are not in direct contact with the skin and should be wrapped with a towel or something similar.

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Children take medicine differently from adults, and there are more precautions to pay attention to. The main focus is on the following aspects:

The choice of antipyretic medicine varies according to the age of the child

Over 6 months: Ibuprofen or acetaminophen;

3 to 6 months: only acetaminophen can be used;

Under 3 months old: Avoid self-medication and seek medical attention promptly.

In addition, no matter what age group the child is in, when the family uses antipyretics to reduce fever, it is best to use a single antipyretic drug. It is not recommended to use different types of antipyretic drugs alternately.

Use the medicine strictly according to the instructions

Before your child takes any medicine, be sure to read the medicine instructions to confirm that the medicine and dosage are appropriate for your child's age and weight.

At the same time, you should also pay attention to the dosage and time interval. Do not exceed the standard dosage just because the child's fever does not go down.

If children have difficulty taking medicine, suppositories can be used

In cases such as vomiting and inability to take antipyretics orally, of course, suppositories must be used under the guidance of a doctor.

Combination cold medicines are not recommended

The ingredients in compound preparations are relatively complex and may overlap with those of antipyretic drugs currently in use, leading to excessive dosage.

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There are many reasons why children have fever. Some cases cannot be solved by physical cooling or medication at home, so they must be sent to the hospital.

The younger the child, the more serious the unexplained fever should be. For example, children aged 0 to 2 years should go to the hospital immediately if they encounter the following conditions:

Infants under 3 months old: Fever above 38°C;

Infants aged 3-6 months: Fever over 38.9°C, or body temperature not exceeding 38.9°C but abnormally irritable, listless, or looking very uncomfortable;

Children aged 6 months to under 2 years: unexplained fever exceeding 38.9°C and not going away for more than 24 hours.

Children over 2 years old can be cared for and observed at home if they are in a normal mental state (can interact normally with adults) after taking antipyretics and can drink enough fluids.

However, you should also seek medical attention as soon as possible if:

☛Abnormal mental state, such as slow response, continuous drowsiness, or irritability, crying and difficult to comfort;

☛Recurrent fever for more than 72 hours with no improvement;

☛ Frequent vomiting and inability to take in any fluids.

In addition, other symptoms associated with a child's fever should not be taken lightly. If any of the following symptoms occur, do not delay and go to the hospital immediately for a doctor's diagnosis:

☛A rash appears but the fever does not subside;

☛When the baby has very uncomfortable conditions such as earache, abdominal pain, headache, etc., the baby may cry abnormally or pull his ears;

☛Labored breathing, shortness of breath;

☛Infants and young children have not had a wet diaper for more than 6 hours, and older children have not urinated for more than 6-8 hours;

☛Fever accompanied by convulsions (seizures).

Finally, I would like to remind everyone that if your child has underlying diseases such as congenital heart disease, malignant tumors, lupus erythematosus, kidney disease, etc., then the methods mentioned above may not be applicable.

For these children, any degree of fever deserves attention and they need to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

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Child with fever

Parents should have a good attitude

Pay attention to the condition

Don't be overly anxious

Help your child recover as soon as possible

Statement: This article is a medical-related educational popular science article. It does not involve specific treatment methods or medical behaviors and cannot replace hospital visits.

Experts collaborating on this article

References

[1] Wang Qi, Su Shaoyu, Liu Lamei, et al. Interpretation and content analysis of clinical practice guidelines for pediatric fever management[J]. Journal of Nursing, 2021, 36(14): 28-31.

[2] Bai Haijing. Drug treatment of fever in children[J]. Health Guide, 2020, 26(05):10-11.

[3] Qin Hongli, Ren Jingjing. Standardized diagnosis and treatment of children's fever in primary medical and health institutions[J]. Chinese General Practice, 2020, 23(07): 866-869.

[4] Li Xia. Clinical nursing intervention for children with fever[J]. Primary Medicine Forum, 2015, 19(35): 5018-5019.

Content Production

Editor: Zhang Fuyao

Map: Eastern Zhou Dynasty