Winter is an auspicious time for the spread of colds and flu. With children at home, even if we take steps to prevent it, it is likely that at least one or two episodes of the flu will pass, and if there are siblings, the chances increase. The flu is accompanied by fever and parents turn to the fever-reducing medicines, sometimes as soon as we notice a few tenths of temperature, but we must know that it is a medicine that it is not always necessary.
Fever is a defense mechanism of the organism in the presence of viruses or bacteria that attack the immune system. Contrary to what is usually believed, it is not a disease in itself and should not be treated as such. Fever is our friend because it plays a fundamental role in the recovery process. No need to always remove it.
Fever, a defense mechanism
It is important to understand why we have a fever. When a virus or a bacterium that infects the tissues enters the body, a physiological process is triggered in the body that stimulates the hypothalamus, a thermo-regulating center, which reacts by raising the body temperature to fight the infection.
The temperature rises in order to create a hostile environment for the virus or the bacteria. According to researchers from the Canadian university McMaster in their study published by the magazine Proceedings of the Royal Society B, "at higher temperatures, bacterial and viral replication is less efficient, while the adaptive immune system response works best."
That is, when the fever is higher, the immune system is winning the battle against the virus, when we lower it we are giving them more court.
More anti-thermal, more flu
The rapidity of administering anti-thermal agents is not a good measure.. By reducing body temperature, the body loses fighting capacity against infectious agents.
In addition, having no fever, the child feels better to continue with their daily activities and causes more infections in their environment. A warning symptom of the organism is being hidden in the presence of viruses that continue to infect other children.
As David Earn of the Department of Infectious Diseases and professor of mathematics at the Canadian university explains: "People often take (or give their children) drugs to lower fever in order to go to work or school. And they may think that the risk of infecting others is minimal because the fever is low, but in reality it is the opposite: those sick people can release more viruses because the fever has been reduced. "
According to the researchers, fever suppression increases the annual number of cases by 5%, which corresponds to more than 1,000 additional deaths from influenza over a year in North America. In other words, over-treating fever produces a greater transmission of cases of flu.
How to use the anti-thermal
Fever at a temperature greater than 38 ° C in the armpit or greater than 38.5 ° C is considered if taken in the rectum.
If the child has a fever (one temperature greater than 38 degrees), we should try to calm her before treating her. We can resort to home remedies to reduce it such as bathing the child with warm water, removing clothes, and very importantly, keeping it well hydrated, if possible with carbohydrates (fruit juices, smoothies, porridge, etc.)
According to the AEPap Decalogue, only fever medications should be used if there is discomfort or pain. Ibuprofen and paracetamol have the same efficacy in treating pain, and although it is sometimes recommended to alternate when the fever does not go down, there is no scientific evidence that it is more effective than always using it.
At the time, we explain how to calculate the doses of ibuprofen and paracetamol that the child should take, to avoid administering them in excess.
Another important fact that the AEPap provides us is that neither the degree of the fever nor the response to the antipyretic guide us about the severity of the infection or whether it is caused by viruses or bacteria.
Anthermic agents are also recommended in children predisposed to febrile seizures, which usually occur during the first day of fever in viral infections and are not necessarily related to high fever, may appear in temperatures from 38 ° C.
In summary, once again common sense is the key to treating fever in children: fever-lowering agents are not always necessary. We should not administer the antithermal by noticing a few tenths in the child. We should only give it if there is pain or the child is not well. If it has a temperature of more than 38º, an attempt will be made to reduce the temperature by other means and not to lower the medication.
