How should I treat a baby with a fever of 39 degrees?

Most of the time, children's fever is caused by colds. Usually, cold medicines should be used in combination. When the baby's body temperature exceeds 39 degrees, it is considered a high fever. So how should this disease be treated? How do we know if the baby has other symptoms? How should we treat the baby when his body temperature is abnormal?

Children's fever is a problem that every parent will face. Its principles and treatment methods are what parents are most concerned about and need to learn the most, but they are also the topics with the most misunderstandings and myths. Therefore, this article will provide a simple introduction to body temperature regulation, fever pathology, how to distinguish the severity of fever, and methods of taking body temperature and reducing fever, hoping to provide parents with practical reference.

Understanding Fever in Infants and Young Children

The human hypothalamus contains a temperature regulation center, which functions like the temperature of a central control system of an air conditioner or heater. Based on this set temperature, homeothermic animals will produce and dissipate heat to maintain a constant body temperature. Just like the thermostat fine-tuning of an air conditioner or heater, the temperature is kept within a certain range through computer sensing and control.

The body temperature of infants and young children is different from that of adults in several characteristics:

1. The temperature setting for infants and young children is higher than that for adults

Therefore, it is not reliable for parents to detect whether their children have a fever by touching their children's temperature. The core body temperature of infants and young children is approximately 37.5 degrees Celsius, with a fluctuation of about one degree; the core body temperature of older children and adults is 36.8 degrees, with a fluctuation of 0.5 degrees.

2. Infants and young children have a larger body surface area relative to their body weight than adults

Therefore, infants and young children can easily dissipate heat. When the outside temperature drops, if they are not kept warm, they will be more afraid of the cold than adults.

3. Infants and young children have less muscle tissue

Infants and young children have poor heat production ability, and it is difficult for them to shiver when they feel cold like adults. They maintain their body temperature by generating energy through muscle tremors and contractions.

Upper respiratory tract infection is a very common disease in children. It has a certain degree of self-confidence, so we recommend that you must treat it according to your own situation. If you have a fever all over your body, you should consider it as an early sign of infection. It is recommended that you drink more water to prevent your baby from catching a cold again.