Baby has a fever, forehead is hot and face is cool

When a baby has a fever, a series of symptoms will occur. Parents will intuitively feel that their baby's forehead is very hot, but the skin temperature on the face is cold. This is a very common symptom of fever. So at the beginning, you need to cool your baby down physically and use cold compresses to improve the problem of their repeatedly high body temperature.

1. The period of rising body temperature is often accompanied by fatigue, muscle aches, pale skin, chills or chills. Pallor of the skin is caused by impulses from the body temperature regulation center via the sympathetic nerves, which causes constriction of skin blood vessels, reduced superficial blood flow, and may even be accompanied by a drop in skin temperature. Due to the reduced heat dissipation from the skin, the cold receptors on the skin are stimulated and transmitted to the central nervous system, causing chills. The impulses from the central nervous system are transmitted to the motor end plates via motor nerves, causing involuntary periodic contractions of skeletal muscles, chills, and contraction of erector pili muscles, which increases heat production. During this period, heat production is greater than heat dissipation, causing body temperature to rise.

There are two ways in which body temperature can rise:

(1) Sudden rise type: body temperature reaches 39-40℃ or above within a few hours, often accompanied by chills. Children are prone to convulsions. It is seen in malaria, lobar pneumonia, sepsis, influenza, acute pyelonephritis, infusion or certain drug reactions, etc.

(2) Slow rise type: The body temperature gradually rises and reaches a peak within a few days, usually without chills. Such as fever caused by typhoid fever, tuberculosis, brucellosis, etc.

2. The high fever period refers to the period when the body temperature rises to a peak and remains for a certain period of time. The duration may vary depending on the cause of the disease. For example, malaria can last for hours, lobar pneumonia and influenza can last for days, and typhoid fever can last for weeks. During this period, the body temperature has reached or slightly exceeded the upward temperature setting point level. The temperature regulation center no longer sends out chills, so the chills disappear; the skin blood vessels change from contraction to dilation, making the skin red and feeling hot; breathing becomes faster and deeper; sweating begins and gradually increases. Keep the heat generation and heat dissipation processes relatively balanced at a higher level.

3. During the period of temperature drop, due to the elimination of the cause of the disease, the effect of the heat source gradually weakens or disappears, the temperature setting point of the body temperature center gradually drops to a normal level, heat production is relatively reduced, heat dissipation is greater than heat production, and the body temperature drops to a normal level. This stage is characterized by excessive sweating and moist skin.

There are two ways to lower your body temperature:

(1) Crisis: refers to a rapid drop in body temperature to normal within a few hours, sometimes slightly below normal, often accompanied by

Sweating profusely. It is common in malaria, acute pyelonephritis, lobar pneumonia and infusion reactions.

(2) Gradual decrease: refers to the body temperature gradually dropping to normal within a few days, such as typhoid fever, rheumatic fever, etc.