40 degrees fever are dangerous in children?

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Updated on March 5, 2019

How should parents react to fever?

Compared to adults, children suffer comparatively often from fever, fever and increased temperature. Even with minor health and immune system disorders, the body temperature rises. But remember: fever is not a disease. Rather, it is a protective response by the human body to fight viruses and infections. But what should parents do when the fever reaches 40 degrees. When does increased temperature become a danger? Is 40 degrees dangerous in children? We’ll look into these questions in the following post.

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What is fever and elevated temperature – causes and course

By increasing the temperature, our body is able to mobilize its defenses and to fight the malignant pathogens. It is an endogenous reaction that we cannot influence. Bacteria and viruses can reproduce poorly at feverish and elevated temperatures. If your child starts to have a fever, it also means that the bacteria can prevail much more poorly. However, a high temperature of over 39 degrees affects the basic bodily functions of a person and leads to enormous stress.

40 degrees fever When to see a doctor?

With a 40 degree fever, you should always see a pediatrician to clarify the causes.

What the parents do when the fever comes at night:

Wadenwickel
give additional liquid
from 39 degrees, fever juice

A short-term increase to 40 degrees fever is certainly not a threat if the child is not otherwise lethargic.

40 degrees fever in children – what happens in the body with fever?

If we want to get to the bottom of the fever, we cannot avoid the hypothalamus in the human brain. This is the human control center. An ideal body temperature is maintained from this control center. The normal body temperature is between 36.6 ° C and 38 ° C. If an infection occurs, this value can be changed via messenger substances. The first reaction: chills. As a result, there is a fever. At feverish temperatures, a large number of defense processes and metabolic processes can take place more quickly.

When is there a high fever??

A healthy child has a body temperature in the range of 36.5 ° C and 37.5 ° C. If the body temperature rises to a range between 36.6 ° C and 38.5 ° C, we speak of increased temperature. In this area, you do not have to worry about anything at first and can counteract it with proven home remedies and plenty of rest and relaxation.

Actually, one only speaks of a real fever above a temperature range of 38.5 ° C. If the temperature then rises above 39 degrees, your child has a high fever. If the temperatures exceed the range of 41 degrees Celsius, we speak of hyperthermia. In this context, keep in mind that we have a temperature around 0.5 degrees lower in the morning than at another time of the day.

How best to measure fever in children?

In principle, you should go to a doctor with your child from a temperature of 38 degrees to have the actual cause investigated. If the feverish temperatures in one to two year old babies last longer than two days and occur in batches, you should also see a pediatrician. Remember, rectal temperature measurement still gives the most accurate results.

Simply add a little petroleum jelly to the tip of the clinical thermometer to make the process of measuring the temperature easier. You can measure fever in the mouth of children from the age of five, provided your children are involved. If your child has a fever, measure the temperature regularly and write down the values. If the temperature rises slightly, you should not take any antipyretic measures yet. At temperatures above 39 degrees, discuss the treatment methods with your pediatrician and you can take the following measures, among others:

Juices and suppositories to lower fever,
place a damp washcloth on your forehead,
drink a lot,
Change bed linen more often,
Make calf wrap,
Don’t pack your child too warm.

Do not make calf wraps in children who are currently suffering from chills! Discuss these measures and the possible action against high fever with your family doctor.

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