Possible causes of high fever in children
If you have children up to 8 or 10 years of age in your care, it is more than likely that, on occasion, you have noticed how their fever rises sharply. This may be more normal than it seems, since high fever in infants and children is common and does not generate concerns, as long as you properly control the reasons that cause it. In MedVisit we explain everything so that you are aware of what they may be and know when to worry.
Why does high fever occur in children?
There is no single main reason. As we are going to see now, there are several reasons:
1. Infections
Children are often a particularly important source of infections. From otitis to pharyngitis, there are many parts of the body that can become infected for various reasons. This is normal, as they do not have the same mechanisms and resources to take care of themselves as an adult would. Can it get worse? Yes, it will usually get worse. In most infections you will need antibiotics to deal with them or very specific medications to treat them (although not all). Therefore, in most cases you will need to see a specialist.
2. Due to vaccines
A very common and widespread secondary reaction is fever one or two days after the injection. There is nothing to worry about because this is a very controlled discomfort that rarely presents major difficulties or is difficult to manage. Generally, it does not last more than 48 hours, although it is true that sometimes the fever can reach worrying temperature peaks. But in the end it always remains just that, a scare.
3. Inflammatory diseases
This is a much less common spectrum of disease. Here, much more serious conditions are recorded, which, as a rule, hardly occur in today’s world. From lupus to ulcerative colitis, there are countless inflammatory diseases that are accompanied by fever. These are usually more serious conditions where the only symptom is not a high fever. Therefore, you will get other warning signs to worry about.
4. Appearance of teeth
Indeed, teeth are an important change in the body of the little ones. Although they can generally appear without major complications, sometimes their appearance can generate small inflammations or, simply, you may encounter an immune response on the part of the child’s body. This can lead to a mild fever. In these cases, the temperature rarely becomes too high. So you have nothing to worry about.
5. Other reasons
Here we can include a small disaster drawer in which we can find everything from adverse reactions to medications to even tumors. Keep in mind that fever is not always an illness per se, but rather a warning that something is wrong. Therefore, your children may experience high fever without pain accompanied by other symptoms or problems. In any case, in the vast majority of cases, it is nothing serious.
The best time to call a doctor
Now, just because fevers usually go away on their own doesn’t mean you don’t have to worry about them when the time comes. So when is that time? What do you need to know about fevers in children and when to worry? What if your child’s fever spikes at night?
The first thing to understand is that the fever is the symptom. Therefore, if you see that your child has an ear infection accompanied by fever, focus your attention on the ear, not so much on the fever.
The second thing is to look at the duration and the temperature. A few tenths can occur for many reasons. From a small respiratory virus to exhaustion. However, when they last more than one night and a whole day and you cannot find the cause, the best thing to do is to see a doctor.
In the same way, temperature is a key factor to give more or less seriousness to the issue. When it starts to go over 39 degrees, you will have to go to a specialist. And in children under 5 years old, when it goes over 38.
Likewise, if your child has special health needs, try to pay more attention to the symptoms. Fever is not the same in a healthy child as in one who, for example, has a previous serious illness. In the latter case, you will need to go to the doctor at the first signs of fever. If you need English-speaking doctors, here we are.
In short, high fever in babies and children is a relatively normal problem that they will have to go through repeatedly. However, it is important that you know how to identify what is a symptom and when it will be necessary to take your children to our doctors in Barcelona.
