How many of those fever rumors have you fallen for?

This is the 3587th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

In winter, the temperature drops, the virus is active, and indoor air conditioning and outdoor cold winds, poor indoor ventilation, and reduced resistance can easily lead to fever. Therefore, winter has always been the peak season for colds and fevers. Due to repeated epidemics, the number of patients in fever clinics has increased sharply. How many of the fever rumors circulating in the world have you fallen for? Dr. Han will refute them for you below.

1. Fever should be covered

The most widely circulated operation is "covering the sweat". Whether in the emergency department or the fever clinic, Dr. Han has seen the most cases of fever patients wearing three layers of clothing, especially the elderly or children. Their family members may also cover them with a quilt outside, covering them tightly for fear that a little skin would be exposed and caught a cold. The family members are justified and say, "Doctor, we are afraid of catching a cold. If you sweat, the fever will go away."

In fact, it is very undesirable to cover your sweat, especially when you have a high fever. Covering yourself with thick clothes will not only prevent you from sweating, but also seriously affect the heat dissipation of the skin, aggravating the high fever. This is especially true for children whose body temperature regulation center is not fully developed and the elderly whose body temperature has degenerated. The correct approach is that as long as the patient with fever does not have chills and shivers, and his limbs are not cold, he should open his clothes to increase the contact between the skin and the environment, and take physical cooling methods to dissipate the body temperature.

2. Alcohol bath has good effect

When alcohol evaporates, it can indeed take away the body surface temperature, accelerate heat dissipation, and play a role in accelerating cooling. However, alcohol baths also have many side effects, especially for children, whose skin is thin and tender, and whose blood vessels dilate when they have a fever, so alcohol is easily absorbed, causing skin allergies or even alcohol poisoning. Therefore, we do not recommend alcohol baths for children, but if the body temperature is greater than 38.5℃ and the fever cannot be reduced after taking antipyretics, you can try it, but it needs to be diluted, such as adding 20~30ml of alcohol to 1000ml of warm water, and still wipe the pulsation of the large artery.

3. Fever is harmful to the body and must be reduced immediately

Fever is not actually a disease. It is the body's response to disease and a manifestation of self-defense against invading pathogenic microorganisms. It means that the body's immune system is activated and is fighting against pathogens. Therefore, fever is the body's normal defense response. Fever can kill certain pathogens and weaken the activity and pathogenicity of some pathogens.

4. Fever can damage your brain

Studies have shown that brain cells can withstand temperatures as high as 41.6°C. Only when the temperature exceeds this limit will the brain cells be damaged. A simple fever will not burn the brain because the body has a good heat dissipation mechanism. When the body temperature rises, the temperature regulation center will start to work and lower the body temperature. Clinically, some fevers, such as those caused by encephalitis and meningitis, do affect the nervous system.

5. Take antipyretics immediately if you have a fever

After understanding the fifth reason for fever, you will know that fever is a normal immune response. For low fever not exceeding 38.5℃, especially for adults with healthy immunity, there is no need to take medicine immediately or require the body temperature to drop to normal immediately. You only need to cool down physically, drink more warm water, and wait for the body's immunity to recover naturally.

6. Take antibiotics first if you have a fever

Not all fevers require antibiotics. Only when blood tests confirm that the fever is caused by bacteria, antibiotics are needed. Fever caused by viral colds or other diseases does not require antibiotics. So once the fever does not subside, you need to go to the hospital for a doctor's diagnosis. Do not take antibiotics blindly to avoid side effects and abuse of antibiotics.

Author: East China Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University

Han Rui, attending physician of the emergency department

Some pictures are taken from the Internet. If there is any infringement, please let us know and they will be deleted.

All names and place names are pseudonyms and any similarity is purely coincidental.