Fever in children is not necessarily a cause for alarm and is actually a sign of a healthy immune system, according to a clinical report aimed at educating parents published online on Feb. 28.
According to the report, fever is one of the most common clinical symptoms managed by pediatricians and a frequent cause of parental concern. Many parents tend to give their children medication to maintain a “normal” temperature, despite minimal or no fever.
“Parents need to know that fever is not something to fear, but more of a friend that shows the body is fighting the infection,” Dr. Henry Bernstein, chief of general pediatrics at the Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New York, told WebMD in an e-mail.
“Fever makes many parents do whatever they can to bring their child’s fever down into a normal range. Fever is not a danger itself; it usually is a benefit,” he wrote.
Instead, parents should focus on making a feverish child feel comfortable and assess other signs and symptoms, such as changes in activity, serious illness, and hydration levels.
The report states that antipyretics (fever-reducing drugs) should be stored safely, and pediatricians should also promote patient safety based on simplified formulations, dosing instructions, and dosing devices.
Parents should not awaken a sleeping child to give him or her medication, according to a press release from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Parents should also be aware that correct dosage is based on a child’s weight.
Despite the fact that it may be more effective, combination therapy, in which ibuprofen and acetaminophen are alternated as fever-reducers, may not be safe and may not make a child more comfortable. There is also the added risk of inaccurate dosing.
The report is called “Fever and Antipyretic Use in Children,” and will be published in the March 2011 print issue of Pediatrics.
According to the report, fever is one of the most common clinical symptoms managed by pediatricians and a frequent cause of parental concern. Many parents tend to give their children medication to maintain a “normal” temperature, despite minimal or no fever.
“Parents need to know that fever is not something to fear, but more of a friend that shows the body is fighting the infection,” Dr. Henry Bernstein, chief of general pediatrics at the Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New York, told WebMD in an e-mail.
“Fever makes many parents do whatever they can to bring their child’s fever down into a normal range. Fever is not a danger itself; it usually is a benefit,” he wrote.
Instead, parents should focus on making a feverish child feel comfortable and assess other signs and symptoms, such as changes in activity, serious illness, and hydration levels.
The report states that antipyretics (fever-reducing drugs) should be stored safely, and pediatricians should also promote patient safety based on simplified formulations, dosing instructions, and dosing devices.
Parents should not awaken a sleeping child to give him or her medication, according to a press release from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Parents should also be aware that correct dosage is based on a child’s weight.
Despite the fact that it may be more effective, combination therapy, in which ibuprofen and acetaminophen are alternated as fever-reducers, may not be safe and may not make a child more comfortable. There is also the added risk of inaccurate dosing.
The report is called “Fever and Antipyretic Use in Children,” and will be published in the March 2011 print issue of Pediatrics.
