What is the reason for my baby’s low fever?

Fever means that a person's body temperature is higher than the normal range. Of course, the fevers we often see are high fevers, and the highest may reach 40 degrees. At this time, first aid must be given, otherwise the brain will be damaged by such high temperature, which will lead to disease. Low fever is also a type of fever, but it is different from high fever. So if your baby at home has a low fever, what is the reason?

Low fever in children refers to a condition in which the body temperature remains between 37.5 and 38 degrees Celsius for more than 2 weeks, often accompanied by loss of appetite, fatigue or other symptoms of illness. Low fever is more common in children in the summer, and general examinations do not reveal any abnormalities, which makes diagnosis difficult. The normal body temperature of a person is affected by many factors, so there is a certain degree of fluctuation. For example, a high ambient temperature or strenuous activity can cause the body temperature to increase slightly. Generally speaking, body temperature in the afternoon is slightly higher than in the early morning, but the difference between the two does not exceed 1°C. The younger the age, the more imperfect the body temperature regulation function, so premature babies, newborns, and people with weak constitutions are prone to body temperature fluctuations. If there are no other accompanying symptoms, it is not considered a pathological phenomenon. For those with weak constitutions, traditional Chinese medicine is often more effective.

When children have low fever, the first thing to consider is whether they have chronic infections, such as tuberculosis, chronic otitis media, chronic urinary tract infection, chronic active hepatitis, viral myocarditis, rheumatism, etc. In some cases, leukemia and other malignant tumors should be considered. The most common cause of fever in infants under 3 months old is bacterial infection (such as group B streptococcus); other infections such as respiratory tract, urinary tract, gastrointestinal tract or otitis media can also cause fever. The most serious infectious disease is sepsis. Therefore, when a newborn has a fever, it is important to take him to a doctor for examination so that early diagnosis and early treatment can be provided for infants and young children older than 3 months old.

The most common ones are colds, otitis media, and urinary tract infections. Otitis media is usually caused by bacteria or viruses from a cold infecting the middle ear through the Eustachian tube. Except for severe otitis media where pus can be seen flowing into the ear, most abnormalities cannot be seen from the outside.

In addition, urine tests are also important when children have a fever for no apparent reason. When children and adults have urinary tract infections, they may experience frequent urination, painful urination, or even urinary incontinence and back pain. Young infants may only have anorexia, spitting up, diarrhea, jaundice, etc., and no urinary tract symptoms can be seen, so it is very easy to misdiagnose. A small number of urinary tract infections are caused by congenital malformations of the urinary organs, such as the incorrect shape of the kidneys, the incorrect angle at which the ureters enter the bladder, etc., and require surgical treatment.

In order to help doctors obtain more information for a clear diagnosis, parents should record their children's daily temperature changes in detail before seeing a doctor. Generally, the temperature should be measured every 4 to 6 hours for more than 1 week, and various accompanying symptoms should be recorded, such as changes in appetite, fatigue, facial flushing, night sweats, cough, frequent urination, urgency, pain, joint pain, etc., for the doctor's reference when making the diagnosis.

What is considered a fever: A normal body temperature for children is between 36.2℃ and 38℃. General definition: Fever is defined as rectal temperature above 37.8℃, oral temperature above 37.3℃, and axillary temperature above 36.8℃. Nowadays, ear thermometers are used more frequently. The temperature measured by ear thermometers is similar to rectal temperature, both of which are called "core temperature".