What if you have a high fever?

In fact, high fever itself is not a disease, but a symptom, reminding your body that there may be a disease. In fact, heat dissipation is good for the body, and this internal defense measure has the effect of eliminating foreign germs. If the temperature does not rise too high, let it dissipate heat naturally, which will help to eliminate toxins.

Generally speaking, sudden outbreak of high fever (38.5℃-40℃) usually means bacterial infection in the body: acute inflammation such as cold, pneumonia, meningitis and scarlet fever will be accompanied by high fever; Long-term persistent low fever (37.3℃-38.5℃) means that the immune system is destroyed: tuberculosis, rheumatic fever, lupus erythematosus, cancer and so on all show low fever symptoms to varying degrees.

If you have a high fever, you need to see a doctor immediately, because it means that the infection in your body is getting worse. If the body temperature is too high, it is easy to cause brain damage and dehydration, especially if the high fever persists.

Family therapy measures:

● Don't rush to cool down.

If the doctor determines that you just have a cold, you'd better not rush to take antipyretics within your tolerance. High fever is one of the mechanisms to resist infection in the body. Our body can mobilize its own defense system to kill foreign germs by raising the body temperature (generally speaking, germs will die when the body temperature is above 39℃), thus shortening the onset time and enhancing the role of antibiotics. If the fever is reduced by drugs in the early stage of a cold (37-38.5℃), the bacteria in the body will temporarily be in suspended animation, and they will develop drug resistance. Once they reappear, they are usually more difficult to treat.

● Cold compress

If you can't stand a high fever, you can use cold compress to help lower your body temperature. Apply a wet and cold towel to the forehead, wrist and calf, and cover other parts with clothes. When the cold compress reaches body temperature, it should be changed once and repeatedly until the fever goes down. You can also wrap the ice cubes in a cloth bag and put them on your forehead.

● Hot compress

If the temperature is not too high, you can use hot compress to reduce the fever. Wipe the patient's forehead and limbs repeatedly with hot and wet towels to dissipate heat until the fever is gone.

But if the body temperature rises above 39℃, don't use hot compress to reduce the fever, but use cold compress to prevent the body temperature from rising further.

● Wipe your body.

Evaporation also has a cooling effect. Experts suggest using cold tap water to help the skin emit excessive heat. Although you can wipe the whole body, you should especially strengthen some parts with higher body temperature, such as armpits and groin. After squeezing out too much water, wipe one part at a time and cover the other parts with clothes. Body temperature will evaporate water and help dissipate heat.

● Take a bath

Sometimes, a hot bath is the most comfortable. It can also relieve fever symptoms. Baby should take a bath with warm water or wrap the baby with a wet towel, and change it every 15 minutes.

● Replenish liquid

When you have a high fever, your body will sweat and dissipate heat; But when you have a high fever, your body will close the sweat glands because of too much water loss to prevent further water loss, which will lead to the body's inability to dissipate heat. The solution is to replenish liquid, drink more boiled water and fruit and vegetable juice, which is rich in vitamins and minerals, especially beet juice and carrot juice. If you want to drink tomato juice, choose low-sodium products. Avoid solid food during fever until the condition improves.

If vomiting is not serious, you can also eat ice cubes to reduce your fever. Pour the juice into an ice box and ice it into ice cubes. You can also put grapes or strawberries in the ice, which is especially popular with children with high fever.

● Appropriate ophthalmic painkillers

If you feel uncomfortable, you can take painkillers. Adults take 2 aspirin or 2 paracetamol every 4 hours. The advantage of paracetamol is that fewer people are allergic to it. Because aspirin and paracetamol work in different ways, if you think that using either one can't effectively control high fever, you might as well use both. Take 2 aspirin and 2 paracetamol every 6 hours. When taking these drugs, you need to get the doctor's consent first.

● Never let your child take aspirin.

Teenagers under 18 should never take aspirin. Because aspirin may cause Raynaud's syndrome in children with high fever, which is a fatal nervous system disease. Children can use paracetamol instead. Take 5-7 mg per pound of body weight, calculate the dose, and take it every 4 hours. Remember, it is dangerous to increase the frequency of use or exceed the appropriate dose, so you must take it under the guidance of a doctor.

● Pay attention to the right amount of clothes.

If you feel hot, take off too many clothes and let the heat in your body radiate. But if it makes you shudder, it means that there are too few clothes, and you should increase them until they are not cold.

If the patients are babies, they need to pay special attention, because they can't express their feelings yet. In fact, putting too many clothes on children or putting them in hot places may cause a high fever.

At the same time, don't let the room temperature be too high. Doctors usually advise not to exceed 20℃. At the same time, the room should be properly ventilated to help recovery, and keep soft light to relax patients.