Children's hands and feet are cold and their bodies are hot

I believe everyone has experienced the feeling of having a fever in life! If the fever is mild, it can be reduced through some physical cooling methods, but for those with high fever, they need to use drugs to reduce the temperature. Some people will have cold hands and feet and a hot body after having a high fever. This is actually when the high fever is quite serious. So what should you do if a child has cold hands and feet and a hot body?

Many mothers have noticed this phenomenon: when the baby has a fever, although the whole body is hot, the hands and feet are cold. Experts say that it is normal for children to have cold hands and feet when they have a fever. Do not dress your child in thick clothes because of this. Instead, you should pay attention to monitoring your child's body temperature and use appropriate methods to cool him down. So, what is going on when a child has a fever but cold hands and feet?

Why does a child have a fever but cold hands and feet? The human body temperature is controlled by the temperature center of the hypothalamus. If there is inflammation in the body, the temperature center will raise the temperature set point in order to enhance immunity and inhibit pathogenic bacteria. To reach a higher body temperature, the body needs muscle tremors to generate heat and at the same time constrict surface blood vessels to reduce heat loss, so children's hands and feet feel cold.

Many parents will use the method of "covering up sweat" when their children have a fever, thinking that the fever can be reduced as long as the baby sweats. Li Dongfang, deputy chief physician of pediatrics at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, pointed out that this practice is unacceptable. Babies with high fever often have poor limb circulation, and their hands and feet feel cold. Parents mistakenly believe that their children's cold hands and feet mean they are not dressed enough, so they cover their children more warmly. In addition, children's sweat glands are underdeveloped, and when they have a fever and sweat, they often get hotter and hotter, which can easily cause "heat syndrome" and induce febrile convulsions.

In addition, when your baby has a fever, you must pay attention to monitoring the baby's body temperature and take corresponding measures according to the different stages of the fever. During the period of rising body temperature, the baby with fever feels cold. At this time, it is not advisable to wipe the body with cold water. The baby should drink more water, use a cooling patch or ice compress the head, and keep the hands and feet warm for babies with cold hands and feet to improve peripheral circulation; during the period of persistent high fever, the baby feels very hot, you can use ice compresses on the head or warm water baths, drink more water to urinate and sweat, take warm water baths, etc.; if the body temperature exceeds 38.5 degrees, you can take oral antipyretics that are safe for children; during the fever reduction period, the baby sweats a lot, so pay attention to replenishing water and change sweaty underwear in time.