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

Some parents may feel confused. Their children are clearly having a fever and their faces are hot, but why are their hands and feet cold? This may be because the baby is in a state of internal fever, which is relatively more serious. It is necessary to cool down as soon as possible to effectively avoid further deterioration of the situation and the occurrence of burning internal organs. Therefore, parents must pay special attention to this issue.

My baby has a fever and his hands and feet are cold. Why?

The phenomenon of babies having fever and cold hands and feet is often seen clinically. The child has a high fever but cold hands and feet. After the body temperature gradually drops, the hands and feet slowly become warm again. In fact, this is a phenomenon of false cold and real heat. Although the child's hands and feet are cold, his internal organs are in a feverish state. This is especially common in infants under 3 years old.

Children's limbs contain less blood than their internal organs, and the blood supply to their limbs is insufficient, so they are more likely to feel cold than adults. In addition, the development of children's nervous system is not yet complete, and the autonomic nervous system responsible for managing vasodilation and contraction is prone to disorder, resulting in the small blood vessels at the ends of the limbs being in a spasmodic contraction state and becoming cold when high fever first occurs.

So, what should I do if my baby has a fever and cold hands and feet?

Children with a cold usually only need oral medication when the temperature is above 39 degrees. If the temperature is below 39 degrees, physical therapy is usually sufficient. Because the human body has its own immune regulation, body temperature will rise when fighting bacteria and viruses. Pay attention to your body temperature at night, because the human body's immunity is particularly low at night, so it is easy to have a fever, while the temperature drops during the day.

The situation of babies having fever but cold hands and feet is often seen in clinical practice. The child has a high fever but cold hands and feet. After the body temperature gradually drops, the hands and feet slowly become warm again. In fact, this is a phenomenon of false cold and true heat. Although the child's hands and feet are cold, his internal organs are in a hot state. This is especially common in infants under 3 years old.

This phenomenon of false cold and real heat is mainly because babies (especially infants and young children) have less blood in their limbs than in their internal organs. Due to insufficient blood supply to their limbs, they are more likely to feel cold than adults. In addition, the baby's nervous system is not yet fully developed, and the autonomic nerves responsible for managing vasodilation and contraction are prone to disorder, causing the small blood vessels at the ends of the limbs to be in a spasmodic contraction state and become cold when the high fever first occurs.

Many parents do not understand this situation. Once they find their baby's limbs are cold, they mistakenly think that the baby has caught a cold and is afraid of the cold, so they immediately wrap the baby tightly. As a result, the baby's body temperature cannot be dissipated in time and keeps rising, and even high fever and convulsions occur.

If the body temperature exceeds 38.5 degrees, do not reduce the fever too quickly when the child has a fever. Many parents are eager to reduce their children's fever because they are worried that the fever will damage their children's brains and affect their intelligence. In fact, a simple fever will not affect the intellectual development of children.

If the baby has other discomfort, it is recommended to see a doctor to see if there is any inflammation or something, and it is better to prescribe some medicine for the baby to take.