Subfebrile temperature in a child

The subfebrile temperature in a child is determined when, when measured, the indicator ranges from + 37 ° C to + 38 ° C.

It is this thermal state of the body - both in an adult and a child - that is considered to be febrile and is often determined by physicians as subfebrile fever. What are the reasons for subfebrile temperature in children?

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Causes of subfebrile temperature in children

A fever is a symptom, and a symptom of so many different diseases and abnormalities in the etiology, that in one publication it is probably impossible to cover this topic in detail. But we will try to provide you with the most important information.

So, the simplest reason for subfebrile temperature in infants and up to one and a half years is teething, which is accompanied by increased salivation and the desire of the baby to drag everything in the mouth - to rub the itching gum. At the same time, the child is restless, does not eat well, often cries.

Often in a child, subfebrile temperature in the daytime is associated with an allergy, which affects a growing percentage of children, or with a decrease in immunity, which is also characteristic in our time. A rise in temperature by evening can occur because of nervous overstrain or excessive physical activity of the child, because the metabolism in the growing child's body is unstable and has its own specifics.

Cold and acute respiratory viral infection, that is, acute respiratory viral infection or influenza is the most common cause of subfebrile temperature in children. And, imagine, it is with increasing temperature at full capacity that the production of endogenous interferon, a special protein, that not only does not allow the virus to multiply, but also raises all the protective reserves of humoral immunity of the organism, including antibodies and phagocytes, in a counter-attack against pathogenic agents.

It should be emphasized that subfebrile temperature is a characteristic sign of the majority of infectious diseases that can occur in children. These are tonsillitis, adenovirus infection, chicken pox, rubella, whooping cough, diphtheria, meningitis, infective endocarditis, tuberculosis. In this case, diseases such as measles, scarlet fever and infectious parotitis give a temperature above + 38 ° C.

It is possible to have a low-grade fever in a child with the activation of persistent viruses: the herpes simplex virus type I and type II (its card is a cold on the lips), the herpesvirus type VI (which causes baby roseola), and also the herpesvirus type IV (Epstein-Barr virus) - the causative agent of infectious mononucleosis.

Subfebrile condition can be a consequence of inflammation, the foci of which lurk in the child's body, and the processes themselves are lethargic, without pronounced symptoms. Latent inflammatory foci are formed in chronic forms of sinusitis, adnexitis, tonsillitis and focal pneumonia, as well as cholecystitis, cystitis and pyelonephritis. Moreover, with these diseases the probability of superimposing a secondary bacterial infection for initial inflammation is great, and as a result, the thermometer column constantly crosses the mark of + 37 ° C.

It is not necessary to discount invasive diseases (helminthiases) and protozoal infections (toxoplasma and mycoplasma). It should be noted that helminths (parasitic worms) can settle not only in the intestine (which is detected by the results of appropriate tests), as well as in the lungs and liver ...

The etiological relationship of subfebrile fever in children with endocrine pathologies such as hyperthyroidism (thyrotoxicosis) and diabetes mellitus is noted, as well as with most autoimmune diseases of connective tissue and joints: systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic scleroderma and vasculitis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and others.

The long subfebrile temperature in a child should alert the parents, since it can be a sign of cancer (leukemia, lymphogranulomatosis craniopharyngeoma, etc.);

Enumerating the causes of subfebrile temperature in children, we can not ignore the deficiency of vitamins B9 and B12. With their lack, the bone marrow produces less hemoglobin, and then it is more difficult for erythrocytes to provide oxygen to the brain cells, which leads to functional disorders of its parts, in particular, the thermoregulatory part of the intermediate brain, the hypothalamus.

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It's all about the hypothalamus

By the way, pediatricians say that a prolonged subfebrile temperature in a child may indicate a congenital or acquired problem with its regulation in the hypothalamic (diencephalic) syndrome - a multifactorial pathology of the hypothalamus. American doctors call this pathology dysfunction of the hypothalamus, Western European - hypothalamic disease.

The hypothalamus supports the internal balance of the body (homeostasis); plays an important role in the coordination of signals between the nervous and endocrine systems; controls body temperature, heart rate and blood pressure, hunger and thirst; thanks to the hormones produced, it regulates many of the hormonal and behavioral circadian rhythms of the body.

Hypothalamic disease can be caused by genetic disorders, brain trauma (including birth defects), poor blood supply to the hypothalamic region of the brain, encephalitis or meningitis, long-term malnutrition or eating disorders (anorexia or bulimia), increased radiation, brain tumor or its physical damage during surgery, etc.

As a result of hypothalamic disease, numerous dysfunctions manifest themselves, including failures in thermoregulation, which leads to subfebrile temperature in children.

The subfebrile temperature revealed in the child during the day, which is not amenable to any antipyretic drugs, can be diagnosed as a thermoneurosis, which is especially often manifested in adolescence and is associated with the majority of pediatricians with a massive restructuring of the body and the CNS occurring during puberty.

Treatment of subfebrile temperature in children

First and foremost, what should be borne in mind by parents: treatment of subfebrile temperature in children - in the absence of any allusions to a cold or flu - will not give a positive result if you do it yourself, that is, bypassing the most important stage in the fight against any disease - staging diagnosis. And for this, the child needs to be examined - with all the analyzes, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging of the internal organs and brain. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not delay applying to experienced medical specialists.

If you immediately start treatment for colds with drugs that reduce temperature, then this can only complicate the course of the disease. Doctors constantly remind you that antipyretics for viral infections should be taken at a temperature above + 38 ° C, so as not to disrupt the process of production of the body's own interferon. And with infectious diseases, of course, can not do without antibiotics, which should appoint only a doctor

In other cases, subfebrile temperature in children should be treated in accordance with the algorithm of therapy for the detected disease - that is, to eliminate the cause of its occurrence. Of course, if this is possible, as in the clinical practice of pediatricians and physicians of certain specializations, there are many cases of so-called subfebrile temperature of unclear etiology. It is customary to refer to such cases a periodic rise in temperature to + 38 ° C for a minimum of 20 days, the reasons of which can not be established in a medical examination conducted in a hospital.

Given the fact that subfebrile temperature in a child can be a manifestation of the pathology of the hypothalamus, parents should seek advice from a neurologist.