What Can You Do To Treat A Fever?

It is very important to treat a fever to avoid other health complications. Fever is an increase in body temperature, which should always average around 37°C. A variation of up to one degree during the day is normal and not necessarily synonymous with disease.

Factors such as diet, exercise or weather, among others, are some of the reasons why body temperature rises. However, someone has a fever if the temperature is above 38°C.

What is fever?

Fever is an indication that the body is reacting to a possible illness. However, you have to be careful. In babies, especially when they are still breastfed, 39°C is a very high temperature.

In that case, you need to treat the fever as soon as possible and the baby may need hospitalization or at least a consultation with a pediatrician. Fever is almost always associated with other symptoms such as:

• persistent headache covering the entire skull, a feeling of tightness.
• chills and sweats.
• muscle pain with tingling.
• dehydration, dry skin, decreased tearing and urinary retention.
• lack of appetite.
• overall weakness.

Febrile seizures can occur in children between the ages of six months and five years (Spanish link). In these cases, doctors recommend that the patient lie down, protect him so that he does not hurt himself and contact a doctor after the attack.

Causes

The part of the body responsible for regulating temperature is located in the brain and is called the hypothalamus. It works like a thermostat. However, it can increase the reference limit for various reasons. This is when an increase in retained heat occurs.

Infectious factors such as viruses and bacteria can cause fever. This also applies to inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, tumors or drugs that can cause this as a side effect (Spanish link). All types of vaccinations can also cause fever.

How to treat fever

For a low-grade fever, your doctor probably won’t prescribe any specific treatment, especially if there are no additional symptoms. In fact, a mild fever is a sign that the body is responding well to the presence of a virus or bacteria (Spanish link).

An elevated temperature can even help reduce the microorganisms that cause the disease. When a fever causes additional discomfort or is high, it should be treated.

In this case , a doctor can prescribe over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen, among others. You should only take the recommended doses. Do not exceed this limit and do not take these drugs for a long time, as they can cause kidney and liver damage.

If these drugs do not reduce the fever, then looking for the cause is the key to determining the need for antibiotics. This may be necessary, for example, in case there is a bacterial infection, such as strep throat or pneumonia. If it’s a viral infection, antibiotics won’t work.

In children, you should consult a pediatrician if the fever persists after the first dose. Do not give children aspirin, as it can lead to Reye’s syndrome, which, although rare, can be fatal (Spanish link).

Other Recommendations to Treat Fever

When it comes to babies, especially those under 28 days of age, hospitalization is the best option to treat a fever. Newborn babies (Spanish link) are vulnerable to serious illnesses that may require intravenous medications and special care.

You can try a number of measures at home to treat a fever, as long as it does not cause additional discomfort. In the case of dehydration, you should drink water and, even better, oral rehydration solutions. The latter not only rehydrate, but also contain electrolytes. These are essential components for proper functioning of the body.

Rest also promotes recovery, as does the use of light clothing, keeping the room temperature low and sleeping only with a sheet.

It is also advisable to apply warm compresses to the forehead, armpits, groin or soles of the feet. To reduce fever, try hot water baths and teas (Spanish link) made from:

• garlic
• basil
• rue
• ginger
• thyme
• chamomile

You can sweeten the tea with a little honey. The teas are very useful to drink in case of a fever. You should try to drink two to three cups of tea a day.

Information to keep in mind

You should be very careful with fever in children. Their bodies are more sensitive to temperature changes. A doctor should be consulted if the fever reaches 38.5 °C in infants or 40 °C in adults.

In fact, it is essential to do this if the fever is accompanied by headache, vomiting, irritability, abdominal pain, rash or if the elevated temperature persists.

You should stay calm, but take proper measures to treat fever. Otherwise, complications such as seizures and loss of consciousness can occur. All this worsens the patient’s condition and can even endanger their life. It is therefore very important to consult a doctor in case of severe fever.