Fever: Health24: Parenting

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Fever

Febrile seizures

Febrile seizure may be diagnosed if it is a generalised convulsion associated with fever occurring in a child between the ages of six months and five years.

Fits and faints in children

The terms “fits”, “seizures” and “convulsions” are often used interchangeably when we describe episodic abnormal movements, stiffening of the body, or disturbed consciousness.

Many parents overreact to children's fevers, and the steps they take can be dangerous, or at least uncomfortable, for kids, says a study in the latest issue of Paediatrics.

What to do with colds and flu

As the nights get colder, it's not only the duvets and heaters that get hauled out, but boxes of tissues for the inevitable winter sniffles as well.

Fever

Fever is a condition of increased body temperature associated with an underlying disease. A central (rectal) temperature of 37.8°C or more is indicative of fever.

Heat rash

Heat rash is a skin rash which appears in response to the child being very hot – in fact he or she may be too warm.

Paediatricians who use their good clinical judgment in deciding how to treat infants with fevers can effectively diagnose serious illness, even if they don't follow clinical guidelines to the letter, research shows.