Fever is the body's defensive response to illness. Merely reducing a fever is not the purpose of dealing with a fever. During the phrase of rising body temperature for fever, wiping the body with warm water to lower temperature will make children that in a state of chills more uncomfortable. During the phrase of high temperature persistence and hypothermic stage, wiping body with warm water will disrupt the balance of heat production and heat dissipation, that is to say the lost heat will be compensated by the energy consumption of the children's body.
Therefore, there is no need for warm baths, neither during the stage of rising temperature nor the phrase of high temperature persistence or hypothermic stage.Almost all authoritative medical institutions recommend the use of antipyretic medication to reduce fever rather than warm baths, among that several even explicitly oppose warm baths.The sixth edition of the American Academy of Pediatrics Encyclopedia of Parenting has removed the content of warm baths to reduce fever.
Understanding the principles of fever and antipyretics
After a pathogen invades the body, which detected and cleared by the body's immune system, the body produces a number of pyrogens in the body, the hypothalamic temperature center will raise the body temperature set point in response. Why does the center raise the body temperature set point during the inflammatory response？This may be a protective mechanism that the body has evolved over time.
Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are both relatively safe, however，the abuse of antipyretic drugs bring the risks to liver and kidney of the children body.While medications are the first choice for reducing the fever,it is not necessary for the body to take medication once a fever develops.If children has any other underlying illness or the body temperature does not exceed 39.0°C, there are no significant signs of discomfort, do not give children fever-reducing medication optionally in the sate of no significant signs of discomfort either.
