What should I do if my child has a fever for 4 days?

If your child has not fully recovered after four days of fever, it is best to take him to the hospital for detailed examination and treatment, because this is not a common situation. It may even directly cause many children to become dehydrated during the fever, and may also cause convulsions or cerebral edema. Therefore, it must be cured as soon as possible.

1. Dehydration and acid-base imbalance

High fever can easily cause dehydration, and the body loses water when sweating profusely due to taking antipyretics. Dehydration not only makes it difficult to reduce fever, but also affects metabolism and blood circulation, causing acidosis, etc. At the same time, the sodium concentration in the blood increases and the blood becomes hyperosmotic. The child will experience dry mouth, thirst, irritability, and even nonsense or convulsions. The fever will not only not subside but will become higher. Hyponatremia may occur, which is more common in infants and young children who are usually malnourished.

2. Febrile seizures

Some children may have convulsions when they have a fever, which often occurs when a high fever suddenly arises. The convulsion usually occurs once for each fever and rarely occurs more than twice. As long as the convulsion does not last long and is handled properly, it will not have much impact on the child's health.

3. Brain edema

When the body temperature exceeds 41°C, proteins in the body will decompose, causing cerebral edema and leading to the death of the child or leaving sequelae of encephalopathy. Therefore, when a child has a high fever above 40°C, emergency treatment must be given.

If you feel very uncomfortable, you can take painkillers. Adults take 2 aspirin tablets or 2 paracetamol tablets every 4 hours. The advantage of paracetamol is that fewer people are allergic to it. Because aspirin and paracetamol work in slightly different ways, you may want to use both if you feel that you are not effectively controlling your fever with either. Take 2 aspirin tablets and 2 paracetamol tablets every 6 hours. When taking these medicines, you need your doctor's consent.

Never give aspirin to children

Adolescents under the age of 18 should never take aspirin. Because aspirin can cause Reye's syndrome, a fatal neurological disease, in children with high fevers. Children can use paracetamol instead. Calculate the dosage based on 5-7 mg per pound of body weight and take once every 4 hours. Remember, increasing the frequency of use or exceeding the appropriate dose can be dangerous, so always take it under the guidance of a doctor.

Pay attention to wearing appropriate clothes

If you feel very hot, take off excess clothing to allow the body heat to dissipate. But if this makes you shiver, it means you are wearing too few clothes and you should add more clothes until you are no longer cold.

Special care is required if the patient is a young baby, as they cannot yet express their feelings. In fact, dressing children in too many clothes or placing them in extremely hot places may cause a high fever.

At the same time, do not make the room temperature too high. Doctors usually recommend not exceeding 20℃. At the same time, the room should be properly ventilated to help recovery, and the light should be soft to help the patient relax.