Why do children have yellow hands and feet when they have a fever?

Generally speaking, many parents will find that their children have yellow hands and feet when they have a fever, and they will be very worried at this time. In fact, the symptoms of fever are different for each child, and treatment must be based on the series of symptoms that their child has. This is targeted treatment, which can improve their symptoms faster.

The diagnosis can usually be confirmed through examination. Fever in summer may also be related to other viral or bacterial infections, such as purulent tonsillitis, lymphadenitis, pneumonia, bacillary dysentery, typhoid fever and even Japanese encephalitis. However, these diseases may have other symptoms besides fever, and it is not difficult to diagnose them with careful examination. However, if infants and young children develop high fever, we should also pay attention to the so-called "latent" bacteremia. In the past 10 years, there have been reports from abroad that bacteria have been found in the blood of infants under 2 years old with fever. If not treated in time, it will develop into pneumonia or even meningitis. The incidence of this bacteremia is not high, but it should not be taken lightly.

Fever is not a disease, but a common manifestation of many diseases. There are many diseases that cause fever, which can be summarized into two categories. One is caused by the invasion and infection of pathogenic microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, molds and parasites, such as colds, tonsillitis, otitis media, typhoid fever, dysentery, etc. The other category is non-infectious diseases, such as rheumatic fever, pediatric rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, leukemia, malignant tumors, etc. Among them, fever caused by children's colds is the most common.

Fever is a compensatory reaction of the human body's defense mechanism to adapt to the internal and external environment, and is beneficial to the human body. However, fever, especially high fever (above 39°C) that persists for too long, poses a great threat to children's health. When you have a fever, the metabolism of various nutrients in the body increases and oxygen consumption increases. It has been observed that for every 1°C increase in body temperature, basal metabolism increases by 13%. Fever will also affect the digestive function, resulting in reduced digestive tract secretions, reduced digestive enzyme activity, slower gastrointestinal motility, loss of appetite, and even diarrhea and dehydration.

Due to increased oxygen consumption and heat production during high fever, heat dissipation needs to be accelerated, so the heart rate increases and the burden on the heart increases. Not only that, high fever also has a serious impact on the brain. It makes the cerebral cortex over-excited, causing irritability, convulsions, nonsense, and drowsiness. In addition, persistent high fever will reduce the body's ability to defend against infection, which is extremely detrimental to children's health.

Therefore, when a child has a fever, parents should first take appropriate measures based on the degree of fever and the child's condition. In the early stages of the disease, if the body temperature does not exceed 38°C, it is not necessary to reduce the fever; if the fever exceeds 39°C or if there are signs of convulsions even though the temperature does not exceed 39°C, measures should be taken.