Original popular science article: How to deal with children's fever: physical cooling

Editor: Kang Yan Reviewer: Yang Pengbin

(Hao Caiqin, Xu Chao, Li Jun) Many parents are very nervous about their children's fever, and even at a loss, fearing that their children's brains will be damaged and their intelligence will be affected. They just want to take antipyretics as soon as possible. In fact, it is not terrible for babies to have a normal fever. This may be a manifestation of the normal regulation of the baby's body and the enhancement of immunity. Therefore, it should be determined according to the situation. Do not rush to take antipyretics. When the baby's body temperature does not exceed 38.5C (axillary temperature), you should give the baby more water, wear appropriate clothes that are not too thick, keep the room properly ventilated, and use physical cooling. This popular science article will share with you several common physical cooling methods for babies.

Fever is medically called "fever". Clinically, fever is usually defined as rectal temperature ≥38℃ or axillary temperature ≥37.5℃. Fever is a common symptom in children's growth. Many parents are very nervous about their children's fever, and even at a loss, for fear of "burning the brain and affecting intelligence", and just want to take antipyretics quickly. In fact, it is not terrible for babies to have ordinary fever. This may be a manifestation of the normal regulation of the baby's body and enhancing immunity. Therefore, it should be determined according to the situation. Don't rush to take antipyretics. When the baby's temperature does not exceed 38.5℃ (axillary temperature), you should give the baby more water, wear appropriate clothes, not too thick, keep the room properly ventilated, and use physical cooling, while observing the symptoms; when the baby's temperature exceeds 38.5℃, you need to see a doctor and take the corresponding antipyretics according to the doctor's advice.

Here we share with you some common physical cooling methods for babies:

1. Wipe with warm water

This method can be used when the baby's hands and feet are not cold and he or she is not shivering. First test the water temperature, which should be neither too cold nor too hot. Use a warm water towel to wipe the baby's forehead, neck, armpits, palms, and groin from top to bottom, so that the high temperature of the skin gradually decreases and the baby feels more comfortable. According to experience, you can measure the body temperature after wiping 2-3 times. It should be noted that when wiping, you must not use too much force, because the baby's skin is delicate, and using too much force will make the baby feel uncomfortable or damage the skin.

2. Warm water bath

Whether it is a newborn or a one- or two-year-old baby, they can all take a warm water bath. Before taking a warm water bath, parents should test the water temperature with the inside of their wrist. If it feels not too hot, then you can give your baby a bath. Note that the bathing time should not be too long, generally not more than 10 minutes. In practice, you can cover the baby slightly after taking a bath to make the baby sweat slightly, which is easier to reduce fever.

3. Apply a cooling patch

Usually, using a fever-reducing patch to reduce the baby's fever is also a good choice for physical cooling. Nowadays, the fever-reducing patch is mainly made of polymer materials, has no side effects on the baby, and has a high safety factor. The only thing to note is that you must choose a regular pharmacy to buy it. There are detailed instructions for the use of the fever-reducing patch. When using it, generally stick it on the baby's forehead first, and pay attention to the baby's reaction. If the baby's reaction is too strong, you need to peel it open to see if there is a rash on the skin, that is, an allergy. If there is an allergy, it cannot be used. If the allergy is severe, you need to go to the hospital for treatment.

4. Ice pack cold compress

There is still some controversy about the pros and cons of ice packs as a fever-reducing method. On the one hand, ice packs will irritate the baby's delicate skin. On the other hand, they may cause the capillaries in the baby's skin to contract, hindering heat dissipation and making the body temperature higher. Especially if the baby is cold or shivering, ice packs should not be used to cool down.

The author does not recommend using ice packs to cool down. If you must use ice packs, remember that the ice packs cannot come into direct contact with the skin and must be wrapped in a towel before applying the cold compress.

In addition, parents should pay attention to the following two points:

1. " Alcohol wiping" is no longer used as a fever-reducing method , because alcohol will irritate the baby's delicate skin. On the other hand, due to the baby's thin skin, some alcohol will penetrate into the skin, which may cause poisoning in severe cases. Therefore, for the safety of the baby, parents should never use alcohol wiping to cool the baby down.

2. If the baby's body temperature exceeds 38.5℃, parents cannot simply use physical methods to cool the baby down. They must go to a specialized children's hospital in time and seek help from a doctor.

References:

Luo Shuanghong, Shu Min, Wen Yang, et al. Evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute fever of unknown etiology in children aged 0 to 5 years in China (standard version), Chinese Journal of Evidence-Based Pediatrics, Vol. 11, No. 2, April 2016.

NICC. "Guidelines for the evaluation and initial diagnosis and treatment of childhood fever in children under 5 years of age" 2013.05.