First aid Fever in children: from what temperature is a fever and what to do if it appears

Fever is the increase in body temperature as a response mechanism to any disease or inflammatory process of infectious or non-infectious cause (bacteria, viruses, parasites, tumors, metabolic failures, dehydration, immune reaction...) and when it appears it does not you have to be nervous. The Community of Madrid has published a first aid guide in which the Niño Jesús University Children's Hospital explains what it is and how to combat it. This is what they propose:

• Heat and intense redness of head and trunk, sometimes coldness of hands and feet. Chills, shivering.

• Pulse and breathing accelerated.

• Rectal or axillary temperature greater than 38°C.

For it to be considered a fever, the maximum temperature considered “normal” must be exceeded. A temperature above 37.2ºC in the morning and around 37.7ºC in the afternoon is considered a fever, they explain from Mapfre.

Also, it is important to take into account where we measure the fever, since it is normal to register a lower temperature in the armpit, while the rectal temperature is usually a little more than 0.5º C higher. In children, a fever is considered to exist when the temperature is higher than:

38º C measured in the rectum.

37.5º C measured in the mouth.

37.2º C measured in the armpit.

In addition, it must be taken into account that we must differentiate between tenths of a fever that we call low-grade fever (up to 37.5ºC), fever (from 38ºC) and emergency fever (from 40ºC).

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— lindsey ⸆⸉ (Taylor's Version) 🧣 Wed Feb 24 13:52:31 +0000 2021

For every degree of temperature rise, our oxygen consumption increases by 13% and there is an increase in the need for fluids and calories.

1. Remove all clothing, place in a cool place.

2. Apply cloths with warm water on the head, groin and armpits. Change these cloths for cold ones every 5 minutes.

3. Baths with lukewarm water.

4. Frequently offer fluids by mouth.

5. Administer antipyretics: paracetamol, ibuprofen or metamizole at the dose recommended by your doctor.

6. See a doctor if:

– It's a baby under 3 months old.

– The child is sleepy, listless or very irritable.

– You have a severe headache.

– Vomits repeatedly.

– Breathing heavily.

– You have red spots on your skin that don't go away when you press.

1. Fever is not dangerous, it does not cause brain damage.

2. There is no need to obsess over lowering the fever. If the child has a fever but is happy and active, be calm. The most important thing is to monitor their general condition (appearance, activity, behavior, ...).

3. The goal of fever treatment is to make the child more comfortable.