Lower fever in infants

A toddler can usually cope much better with an increase in body temperature than a baby. Nevertheless, parents of affected infants should always pay attention to whether the child appears excessively flabby or even apathetic. In case of doubt, a pediatrician should also be consulted promptly for an infant.

A sufficient fluid intake should be ensured for an infant even during the temperature rise. Depending on the infant’s temperature, the fever can be lowered by medication or household remedies. Since in the presence of a viral infection leading to high fever, only symptomatic treatment can usually be given, combination therapy with ibuprofen and paracetamol has proven to be effective.

Since both drugs are broken down and excreted from the body by a different mechanism, ibuprofen and paracetamol can be given alternately, every three to four hours. However, the maximum daily dose of these two drugs should not be exceeded. If an older child suffers from a high fever, it is particularly important that the body temperature is only lowered if absolutely necessary.

This is especially true for a child who tends to develop a so-called febrile convulsion when the body temperature rises. The affected child should be treated immediately. For this reason, a child with a fever of more than 39.5 degrees Celsius should be presented to a pediatrician.

The pediatrician can determine the cause of the fever and initiate appropriate treatment to reduce the fever. If a bacterial infection is present, antibiotics must usually be prescribed.The additional lowering of the fever should only be done in these cases if the affected child is very flabby, tends to have febrile convulsions or the temperature rises to values of more than 38.5 degrees Celsius. In older children, the fever can be lowered by administering antipyretic drugs, such as ibuprofen or paracetamol, in doses appropriate to the age of the child.

If the fever does not respond adequately to one of these medications, a combination therapy can also be attempted with an older child. Parents of an affected child should administer both drugs alternately, every three to four hours. When carrying out the combination therapy, however, care must be taken to ensure that the maximum daily dose of both drugs is not exceeded. For safety’s sake, it is therefore advisable to consult a physician each time a drug is administered.