Febrile illnesses constitute 10-20% of admissions to pediatric emergency clinics. Most of these children are under the age of 3.
Infections are the most common cause of fever in childhood. However, fever may also increase in various situations other than infection.
Body temperature changes during the day. It is lowest in the early morning hours and highest between 16:00-18:00.
*Armpit temperature > 37.5 °C
*Tympanic (ear) temperature > 37.8 °C The child has a fever.
The use of mercury glass thermometers is prohibited due to their risks. Digital thermometers are often preferred in practical applications. Digital axillary measurement is suitable for babies under 1 month of age, and digital axillary or tympanic measurement is suitable for babies between 1 month and 5 years of age. Rectal temperature measurement is actually the gold standard, but it is not recommended in practical use due to both the discomfort it causes and the risk of trauma. Forehead contact or non-contact infrared thermometers are unreliable.
In fact, fever is an indicator of the war launched against infectious agents. It is a normal physiological response. The degree of fever does not parallel the severity of the disease. Fever has many positive effects on the immune system. Studies have shown that the human immune system works better during the feverish period compared to normal temperature. However, fever should be reduced, especially in children with underlying heart disease, anemia, chronic lung disease, diabetes, congenital metabolic disease and neurological diseases.
Although high fever is often confused with febrile seizures among the public and causes concern, they are different from each other. These are different situations.
Physical cooling methods used in the past to reduce fever (immersion in cold water, cooling with compresses, etc.) are not recommended today. These methods only reduce skin temperature. This stimulates the heat center in the brain, causing the fever to rise even more. The only situation in which physical cooling is recommended is hyperthermia, that is, body temperature above 41 °C.
Fever reducers do not make any change in the course of infectious diseases and do not affect the outcome.
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