Why the child does not bring down high fever and what to do?

A child's temperature won't go down - this is the second most common problem among childhood diseases. There can be many reasons for the rise in body temperature, so there can be many reasons for the poor reduction of temperature. You need to know what to do in such cases and how to help the child using non-drug methods.

Why does your baby have a fever?

Before you figure out why your child’s temperature won’t go down, you need to know why and how it rises in the first place.

First of all, what is a fever? When your child is sick, a high temperature usually shows that his body is working to get rid of a virus or bacteria.

This means that fever can actually be protective and productive. Studies have shown that some children who have a fever throughout a viral infection recover even faster than those who do not.

Most pediatricians consider a fever to be a temperature of over 100.4 degrees. Many parents, however, consider a temperature to start around 100.4 degrees, which by definition is simply elevated. Doctors don’t care much about the specific number; when you say your child had a temperature of 100.4 degrees versus 100.4 degrees, there’s not much difference. A fever for up to three days can be normal with an infection, especially a mild respiratory illness, but if it doesn’t go away after three days, it’s cause for concern. Fever is usually a response to an infection, whether viral or sometimes bacterial. Your baby’s immune system reacts to this as an “invader” and releases chemicals that signal the brain to raise the body’s temperature above normal. Researchers believe this is because most pathogens have trouble surviving at higher temperatures. Some scientists speculate that fever may also boost the body’s immune response (although there’s no evidence that lowering your child’s temperature will slow recovery). Keep in mind that fever itself is not a disease, but rather a symptom of an underlying infection.

There is no one right way to take your baby's temperature, but some methods are more accurate than others.

The best way to measure a child's temperature level 5 years or younger is rectally, using a digital thermometer. Rectal temperature is the only true core body temperature, so parents should use this method. Rectal measurement is not popular with older children. But it is the best choice for children under 3 or when an accurate measurement is critical. To measure, you can position your child as if you were going to change their diaper (on their back with their legs up) or lay them on their stomach, then insert the digital thermometer half an inch into their anus and wait for the reading to complete. If you are worried about harming your child, remember that the tip of the thermometer is much smaller than a baby's stool. Just don't use a mercury thermometer, because if it breaks, the liquid mercury that leaks out is toxic. You can measure for up to five minutes, as it takes several minutes to come into contact with the mucous membrane and measure.

Most children 4 years and older can use the oral method correctly, and there is no need to remove clothing. To do this, simply place the thermometer under the tongue and measure for at least five minutes. If the child has had a hot or cold drink before, wait 15 minutes and then measure.

The axillary fossa measurement method is very easy to use. It requires that the child is not sweaty, and if the room is cold, you may get an incorrect value.

Measuring in the eardrum area is quick and convenient. For a more accurate result, pull your baby's ear up and back a little before measuring. This thermometer measures temperature for one minute, which is very convenient for small children.

After measuring the temperature, you need to determine how high it is and whether it is scary for the child. Most mothers know that a body temperature of 36.6 degrees is normal. But this number can really vary to one degree or another, depending on the child. Thus, you can define the concept of fever as any rectal temperature of 37.5 degrees or more.

Once your baby is over 2 months old, fever itself is no longer an emergency. But why does a baby's temperature not go down and what could be the reasons for this? Most often, a fever does not go down if a child develops a bacterial infection that requires active treatment with antibiotics. For example, half of children with acute ear infections who are treated without any antibiotics have problems with normal temperature reduction.

Ear infections can be caused by viruses or bacteria when excess fluid gets into the middle part of the ear. When this space fills with mucus or pus, it becomes inflamed, causing pain, and the temperature rises as a response to the inflammation. So, the best medicine you can give your child as soon as you first think he has an ear infection is a painkiller such as ibuprofen or paracetamol. But if the inflammation is severe, the temperature may not go down even with these medications, so it is necessary for the doctor to consider prescribing an antibiotic. It will start to act at the source of the infection, the number of bacteria will decrease, and accordingly, the temperature will gradually normalize.

It often happens that a child's temperature does not go down with ARVI. In this case, if the temperature is long-lasting, then you also need to think about complications and the addition of bacterial flora.

If the temperature of a one-year-old child does not go down, then a common cause in this case is simply the wrong dosage of medication given by the mother. When prescribing a medication to reduce the temperature, be sure to carefully read the dosage instructions. After all, often the child's age and weight do not correspond to the norm, which is on average given in the instructions, so it is better to calculate the drugs based on the child's weight. Especially at the age of one year, when the average weight of a child should be 10-10.5 kilograms, and there are children at one year of age weighing 14-15 kilograms.

When a child's temperature does not go down during teething, this can be considered normal, if this increase is no more than 38 degrees. When teeth begin to erupt, the body always perceives this as a stressful situation. Many biologically active substances and vitamins are released for this process, which can slightly cause activation of the thermoregulation center. But such a temperature should not exceed subfebrile numbers, regardless of which tooth is erupting. Therefore, if you are trying to bring down the temperature during teething, and it does not exceed 38 degrees, then this is normal and you should not panic.

When a child's temperature does not go down after vaccination, this is the most common reason for panic among young mothers. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully understand why this is happening. Vaccinations are given to infants to protect them from diseases. The vaccination schedule begins at birth and continues into adulthood. Although some vaccinations carry the risk of certain side effects, the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks. Parents should know and understand how to manage side effects. A common side effect of vaccination is fever after vaccination. Usually, the doctor warns that such a reaction may occur. In this case, you can come home and give the child an antipyretic immediately after the vaccine. You should monitor the temperature at all times, and if the temperature is above 38.5 ° C, then Paracetamol (not aspirin) can be used to reduce the temperature. Additional fluids are recommended (eg, water, milk). If the temperature stays within 38-38.5, then this is an expected reaction to the vaccination. But if the temperature does not go down, but rises significantly and there are other symptoms - vomiting, convulsions, then you need to urgently consult a doctor.

A common infection today causes a significant increase in temperature - this is a rotavirus infection. What to do when a child's temperature does not go down with rotavirus and diarrhea? Rotavirus is an intestinal infection, which is primarily accompanied by intestinal symptoms. High body temperature is an accompanying symptom. Therefore, if the temperature does not go down, then first of all you need to restore the child's water balance - give him a drink. When the volume of fluid is normalized and the child stops losing it, the temperature should be restored.

It often happens that a child's temperature without symptoms does not go down, then you need to look for the reason for this. If we talk about older children, then they need to think about systemic diseases with damage to connective tissue. Such diseases often manifest themselves as a long-term increase in body temperature without other manifestations, and after some time a rash, joint pain and other characteristic symptoms appear. Therefore, if a child has no symptoms, but has a temperature that does not go down, then these pathologies, as well as tumors of various localizations, need to be excluded.

How to bring down a child's temperature?

What to do if the child's temperature does not go down. When the child's temperature does not go down with antipyretics: Nurofen or paracetamol, then other non-drug remedies can also be used.

First of all, you can undress the child, uncover, ventilate the room and provide access to fresh air. Since water removes heat from the body faster than air, a bath is an effective method of reducing the temperature and works faster than medication. You can also use a bath to reduce the fever while you wait for the paracetamol to take effect. Use warm water. Never use cold water to reduce the temperature. Water that is not much lower than body temperature provides a quick reduction in temperature.

You can also place a cool, wet washcloth on your baby's forehead or body to help reduce fever.

Encourage your child to drink plenty of fluids. Fever can lead to dehydration, which can be a serious condition, so it’s important to offer your child plenty of fluids. Plain water is always the best choice, but other options also work if your child is a picky eater. Offer your child fruit juices diluted with water or water flavored with fresh fruit. You can also offer iced, caffeine-free herbal teas (such as chamomile and peppermint) or electrolyte solutions. Fluids help lower body temperature by being eliminated by the kidneys.

If your child has cold hands or feet due to a high body temperature, you can rub them with your palms.

What to do if a child's high temperature of 38-39 does not go down? In this case, you should most likely call an ambulance, since the child will need to be given an injection of antipyretic drugs. You can do it yourself if someone helps you and if you know how to give injections. Analgin with diphenhydramine is most often used, and papaverine is also added for white fever.

What to bring down if the temperature persists for a long time? You can give the child an injection analgin to drink, which can be an effective means of reducing body temperature when others are less effective.

In cases where the child's temperature does not go down, parents should of course exclude the threat to the child's life, therefore, if the numbers are high, use all non-drug methods and call an ambulance. After that, you need to look for the cause - most often these are complications of the disease with the development of a bacterial infection. In any case, a doctor's consultation is mandatory.