d how widespread is it in the world?
This term appeared nearly 40 years ago after a research that collected the opinions and fears of parents about the high temperature of their children, as it became clear that many parents have great fear when the child’s temperature rises because they believe that the high temperature may lead to brain damage or death, so they Excessive use of antipyretics. This phobia is not limited to third world countries only, but it is a global phenomenon and it still exists today despite the many attempts to get rid of it.
What are the effects of the phobia of high temperature on the health of the child?
A child’s high temperature is often a friend to his body, not an enemy. When the temperature rises, the body’s defense capacity increases and contributes to activating the immune system to become more powerful and able to fight microbes. But because of this phobia, parents use antipyretics a lot, which leads to keeping the child’s temperature in the normal range, which reduces his resistance to microbes, and may also lead to damage to the liver and kidneys if an overdose is used.
What are the reasons for its existence and its continuity to the present day?
There is a lot of misinformation and inaccurate stories on the Internet that has led parents to believe that using antipyretics more often will lead to less damage to the brain.
Sometimes some health care providers exaggerately warn parents about the dangers of hyperthermia to urge them to take better care of the baby, which scares them even more and confirms inaccurate information and stories they have heard or read online.
Studies have shown that some health care providers suffer from this phobia as well, and this leads to their excessive use of antipyretics and the dissemination of a false medical culture among parents.
Young mothers who have only one child, are missing out on information and experience since it is their first childcare experience.
The occurrence of a seizure in the same child or children of the family, neighbors or friends.
Many mothers use a lower dose than required, which leads to a persistent high fever and the belief that they are not responding to antipyretics and therefore going to the emergency again. Calculating the appropriate dose based on weight and making sure that you understand the doctor’s instructions well will reduce this phenomenon.
Does high temperature cause brain damage?
A temperature below 42°C does not cause brain damage as is commonly believed. Also, research has shown that excessive and excessive use of antipyretics does not protect against the recurrence of heat cramps that can occur at temperatures below 42°C.
Can infection alone raise a body temperature to 42 or more?
Temperatures above 42 ° C can cause brain damage, and the risk increases in childhood, when brain cells are very weak and easy to be affected by high heat and destroy or leave a negative impact on it that accompanies the child throughout his life.
It is very rare for the body temperature to rise to this extent due to infection, unless the child is in a very hot place (such as being in a closed car exposed to the sun) or is wearing so much clothing that the body cannot get rid of the heat sufficiently, emphasizing that Wearing a lot of clothes without infection does not cause the temperature to rise above 38.5.
The mechanism of high temperature during infection (Fever) also differs from other serious causes (Hyperthermia) such as severe heat stroke or due to the use of some psychological and neurological treatments and should not be confused with them.
What is the correct behavior when my child’s temperature rises?
- Make sure that the temperature is really high by using the thermometer, because touching the skin of the child by hand is not an accurate way to measure the temperature.
- Go to the doctor to find out the cause of high fever and treat it and not only use antipyretics without knowledge.
- Recording the temperature that was measured at home before giving any antipyretic, because taking the medicine without measuring it will mislead the doctor. Some symptoms, such as coughing, may be caused by inflammation or just an allergy. Among the signs that help determine the cause of the cough, is the high body temperature. There are also some microbes that cause a slight rise in temperature, while the rise is severe in other types.
