What is important is to carefully observe the condition of the child

In addition to colds, various other causes for fevers are possible. Carefully look what other kinds of symptoms there are.

Symptom	Cause
Headache and vomiting, altered consciousness	Possibly meningitis or encephalitis
Coughing and phlegm, shortness of breath	Possibly pneumonia or bronchitis, etc.  Some cases of pneumonia do not require hospitalization
A husky voice, with a cough that sounds like a dog barking	Possibly acute laryngitis or acute epiglottitis.  This can sometimes result in difficulty in breathing. Please seek medical attention at an early stage
Pain in the stomach area	Possibly appendicitis, etc.  Proceed with c caution  if the pain is in the lower right part of the abdomen
Earache	Ear infection such as otitis media, otitis externa, etc
Sore throat	Acute upper respiratory tract infection, acute suppurative tonsillitis, peritonsillar abscess, etc
Pain in the bones and joints	Osteomyelitis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, etc
Backache, cloudy urine	Urinary tract infection, etc
Bloodshot eyes, reddened lips, swollen fingertips, rash all over the body	Kawasaki disease etc

When to seek medical attention immediately – signs of an underlying medical condition

When babies less than 3 months old experience fits (convulsions), have irregular breathing, with hardly any urination, or look ill.

Even if there is a fever, as long as the child is quite active and has an appetite there is no need to panic. However, parents should be concerned if the child seems to be in a bad mood or has no appetite. In such cases, seeking medical attention immediately.

Caution when using medication to lower fevers
- Children and adults react differently to medication -

The reaction to medication is different between adults and children. Caution is required because there is a possibility of fatal complications if children with influenza or chickenpox take aspirin.

What causes fever – varies between people

The most common symptom observed at general hospitals for outpatients is “fever.” However, what causes fever can vary greatly, from having a cold to suffering from more serious illnesses.

Here, we introduce the main cases where fever occurs.

Infection
Fevers occur when a person is infected by viruses or bacteria. This is how the body defends itself to suppress the multiplication of viruses or bacteria. In many cases, the fever is short-lived and recovery from such infections takes less than two weeks. It is wise to proceed with caution in such situations as simply lowering the fever can actually help the virus or bacteria and prolong the time it takes to make a full recovery.

Allergies and malignant tumors
If a person suffers from a high fever of 38°C or higher for more than 2 weeks, it is possible that the cause is an allergy such as collagen disease or rheumatism; or a fever arising from more serious ailments like cancer. A detailed examination is necessary in this case.

Heat retention
This refers to a situation where the body temperature rises because the surrounding temperature is too high and the heat inside the body cannot be fully radiated away. For example, when people are suffering from a sunstroke or heatstroke caused by extremely hot weather. In this case, it is important to lower the body temperature quickly.


KOBAYASHI Pharmaceutical (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. Copyright © 2012