Every mother is very anxious when the baby's forehead becomes hot. But when the thermometer shows a mark above 38 degrees for no apparent reason, the question arises - what does it mean if a child has a temperature without symptoms of a cold. What should parents do in this case?
The situation when a child has a temperature without symptoms of the disease is very common at a young age. You need to understand that if you have not seen other manifestations of the disease (for example, cough or runny nose), then the doctor can see them. Therefore, with an increase in body temperature over 38.5 degrees, it is recommended to call a specialist.
Causes
When a child has a fever without symptoms, the causes may be different. There are three main factors in raising the temperature in children:
- teething;
- overheating of infants can occur in the winter;
- viral or bacterial infection.
Sometimes the cause may be a reaction to the vaccine and an allergic reaction.
Teething
Signs of teething can appear as early as three months of age, and end by 2.5-3 years. And at the age of 5-6 years, symptoms can return against the background of teething. As a rule, lethargy and moodiness, and excessive salivation are added to an increase in temperature. Gums swell, the child tries to scratch them with everything that comes to hand. All the symptoms together can tell mom that it’s time to make out the first teeth.
Overheat
If the child has a fever without other symptoms, then this can be a usual overheating. Children under one year of age are more susceptible to this, since they have not yet fully developed the process of thermoregulation of the body.
The main signs can be an increase in the values of the thermometer to 38-39 degrees, lethargy, moodiness. If you do not take measures, then this condition can go into the inflammatory process.
Viral infection
An increase in body temperature without other visible symptoms is a very common occurrence with a viral infection. It is dangerous because it forces the immune system to wear out, thereby weakening it to fight other viruses and infections. After a few days, other symptoms begin to appear - a runny nose, cough. This can trigger bronchitis and pneumonia.
Elevated body temperature can also be a sign of chickenpox. It is necessary to monitor the appearance of a small rash.
Bacterial infection
Basically, a bacterial infection is always accompanied by additional signs that the doctor will help determine. An exception is a urinary tract infection. It is very important that parents pay attention to the color of the urine of their child, to his behavior during urination. For any suspicion, it is recommended to do a urinalysis and show it to the doctor.
The most common causes of high bacterial temperature:
- Angina. First, an increase in body temperature appears, then redden and sore throat, there is a white coating on the tonsils.
- Pharyngitis. Symptoms - redness of the throat, temperature.
- Otitis. Especially dangerous in young children who are not yet able to explain what is bothering them. With otitis media, the child is very moody, sleeps poorly, constantly touches the ears.
- Acute stomatitis. Refusal of food, excessive salivation is added to the temperature, small sores can be noticed in the mouth.
Some parents, due to their inexperience, may not notice additional symptoms. Each infectious disease has a number of signs that appear after some time. Therefore, it is important to know what to do at a temperature without symptoms in the child.
There is a sign by which you can determine the type of infection - viral or bacterial. When viral - the skin of the child has a bright pink color. With bacterial - the skin turns pale.
Allergic reactions
Sometimes an increase in temperature in a child without symptoms indicates an organism's response to an allergic reaction. This rarely happens, mainly against the background of other infections.
Actions for overheating of children
The cause of overheating may be a long stay of the child in a hot, stuffy room or outdoors in hot weather. In winter, overheating happens due to the large amount of clothing worn on the baby. If the body temperature rises to 39 degrees, this may indicate thermal shock.
If you suspect overheating, you must:
- ventilate the room so that the air temperature becomes about 20-22 degrees, giving a constant flow of fresh air;
- if the child is on the street, you need to quickly put him in the shade;
- it is very important to drink a lot to avoid dehydration;
- wash your baby with cool water;
- undress your baby as much as possible.
When overheating, these actions are enough. If after some time the temperature does not drop, then you need to immediately call an ambulance.
Teething
As a rule, when teething, the temperature does not rise above 38 degrees. If the child becomes lethargic, and the thermometer shows a mark of 38.5, it is worth giving an antipyretic, such as "Ibuprofen" or "Paracetamol". In other cases, a cold “rodent” or a special gum gel for teething can help.
It is not recommended to go on long walks. Ventilate the room and drink more.
Actions at a temperature due to a viral infection
The high temperature during a viral infection indicates enhanced immune system function. Without the use of medicines, it passes within 7 days. At this time, it is very important to give the child a plentiful drink. Fruit drinks, linden tea are good. If the temperature rises or additional symptoms are added, this is an occasion to call a doctor who will prescribe adequate treatment.
What to do at a temperature due to a bacterial infection
Additional symptoms are sure to be added to the temperature due to a bacterial infection in a couple of days. The problem is that mom is not always able to see them. Therefore, it is important to see a doctor in a timely manner, especially if the condition does not improve, the child begins to complain of pain, becomes lethargic and capricious.
If you suspect a urinary tract infection, you should go to the hospital soon.
With intestinal infection, severe fever begins, and after a while diarrhea, vomiting begins. A doctor's advice and a drink are needed to rule out dehydration.
Temperature without symptoms in a child with allergies or after vaccinations
If the temperature rises after vaccination, it is recommended to drink more water and take antihistamines.
Many doctors advise taking antiallergic drugs 3 days before vaccination and 3 days after. Vaccinations are given only to healthy children after examining a pediatrician and providing urine and blood tests.
The heat in allergies can disappear immediately after taking the antiallergic drug. But in this case, along with the temperature, other symptoms arise - runny nose, sneezing, allergic rash.
Measures at a child’s temperature
If the child has a temperature of 37 without symptoms, then this begins to greatly disturb the parents.
Some experts consider this increase to be the norm. Others perceive this as the onset of the disease. In this case, parents are advised to observe the child for several days. If he becomes lethargic, refuses to eat, and the temperature is kept within such limits for several days - this is an occasion to go to the hospital.
But it happens that the increase in the value on the thermometer occurs due to incorrect measurement. There are several rules for measuring temperature correctly:
- In the evening, body temperature is 0.5-1 degrees higher than in the morning. Therefore, it is recommended to measure at the same time.
- The measurement is carried out in a dry armpit.
- The child should be calm. Screaming, nervousness, tantrums increase the temperature.
- You need to wait about half an hour or an hour after outdoor games, playing sports, being in a hot room.
Sometimes a small temperature is kept in a child without symptoms for a month or more. As a rule, this occurs in newborns with imperfect thermoregulation. For them, the value of the thermometer at 37 degrees is the norm. The main thing is that the baby should not be sluggish, eat well, and the tests are in order.
If the temperature rises within a few days, other symptoms appear or suddenly rises some time after the illness, a comprehensive examination is necessary.
If the temperature of a newborn baby rises to 37-37.2, but he is alert, eats well, does not act up, then there is no reason for concern. It will be enough to ventilate the room and not wear too warm. But if the temperature without other symptoms in a child of 3 months of age and younger has risen to a value of 37.5 or higher, you need to immediately call an ambulance. At this age, such an increase can be dangerous, because in young children the symptoms of infections do not appear like in older children.
If the child has a temperature of 38 without symptoms, this is a reason to worry, since such an increase may indicate the onset of the inflammatory process or the presence of infection in the body.
To begin with, it should be noted that doctors do not recommend bringing down the temperature below 38.5 degrees, so as not to weaken the immune system.
If the child has a temperature of 38.5 without symptoms of other diseases, but the condition does not worsen, you can try to get by with the above methods. If this does not help, give an antipyretic (Ibuprofen or Paracetamol, according to age). The dosage must be obtained from your doctor.
When a child has a temperature of 39 without symptoms, this is usually a sign of a rapidly developing inflammatory process. In this case, the baby's forehead, arms and legs can be cold due to vasospasm. In these cases, it is recommended to give antipyretic and no-shpa in age-related dosages.
An increase to such high indicators sometimes indicates the onset of diseases such as meningitis, rubella, tonsillitis. It is always important to observe the condition of the child, since after a short time, additional signs begin to appear that will help in the diagnosis of the disease.
If a fever without symptoms in a child under 2 years old, then this may be a sign of roseola - an infectious disease of young children. It manifests itself as a high body temperature, and on 4-5 days the appearance of small pink spots.
It must be remembered that temperature is a protective reaction of our immune system. During heat, the body releases antibodies to destroy the causative agent of the disease. The production of interferon is also enhanced, which helps the immune system fight infections and viruses. At this time, the child may complain of lack of appetite and fatigue - at this time all the forces of the body are aimed at destroying the source of malaise. When using antipyretic drugs, the immune system will begin to work slower. Therefore, it is not recommended to bring down the temperature when the thermometer shows below 38.5 degrees.
Exceptions are children with neurological, cardiovascular diseases, weakened, as well as babies who have previously had cramps or loss of consciousness at elevated temperatures. In these cases, it is recommended to use antipyretic drugs already at a mark of 37.8-38 degrees. But after consulting a doctor!
Be sure to ventilate the room and give plenty of water. It well lowers the temperature by rubbing with warm water. Such actions can help reduce the temperature by 1-2 degrees. In no case do not wrap the child.
In any case, it is better to play safe and consult a pediatrician to exclude infectious processes.
Temperature Diagnostics
In the presence of fever, the attending physician prescribes the following tests:
- blood and urine tests;
- ECG;
- ultrasound examination of the kidneys and abdominal organs;
- fluorography is sometimes prescribed;
- additional analyzes of a narrow focus - hormonal studies, the presence of antibodies, tumor markers
Based on the results of the examination, MRI, CTG and more can be prescribed.
It happens that with a prolonged increase in temperature, the doctor claims that this is the norm, and do not worry. It does not prescribe any tests. In this case, you should contact another doctor, because such a condition for a child's body can be stressful.
At high temperature prohibited
- inhalation;
- grinding;
- wrapping up;
- taking a bath, a short showering with water at a temperature of 36.6 degrees is recommended;
- you can not wipe the child with vinegar or vodka, put mustard plasters;
- warming ointments are contraindicated;
- hot drink;
- instead of humidifying the air, it is better to open a window for ventilation.
Parents should remember that the health, and sometimes the life of the child, largely depends on your actions. Therefore, when the baby has an increase in temperature, it is very important to observe his condition. With any change in behavior, pallor of the skin, convulsions - immediately call an ambulance. The medicine cabinet should always have an antipyretic, no-spa and antihistamines (at the dosage recommended by your pediatrician). It is better to discuss with the doctor in advance what to do in such situations before the arrival of an ambulance.