Cold, flu, cough, runny nose
med .: Hyperthermia
English: fever
Fever is a completely natural reaction of the organism to bacterial and viral pathogens.
The body's own immune system is stimulated by the increase in temperature and the overheating also leads to the fact that the rate of multiplication of pathogens is significantly reduced.
For this reason, before lowering the fever, it should always be considered whether the impairment of the patient's well-being justifies lowering the fever.
In addition, when choosing the most suitable antipyretic agent, it should be borne in mind that there may be different causes for the occurrence of the fever depending on the patient group (baby, toddler, child and adult).
For this reason, the most effective measures to reduce fever also differ between these patient groups.
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Medicines that are particularly promising and completely harmless in adults can, for example, have a lasting effect on a baby's organism and thus hinder the healing process.
In the case of a baby, toddler or child in particular, it is therefore important that a pediatrician is consulted promptly in the event of a fever with an unclear cause or a rapid and / or high rise in temperature.
Read more on the topic: When should I see a doctor with a fever?
A baby can have a fever quickly dangerous become.
This is due to the fact that a baby doesn't have sufficient liquid reserves disposes.
A rapid rise in temperature, which may be accompanied by other symptoms (e.g. diarrhea and / or vomiting), can therefore quickly become Dehydration to lead.
As Rule of thumb therefore applies that a baby that younger than three months is and / or fever from more than 38.5 degrees Celsius and / or makes a very restless impression should be presented to a pediatrician as soon as possible.
If you have a mild fever you can lower the temperature with the help of a damp washcloth respectively. To do this, the washcloth should be moistened with water at body temperature and then the Forearms of the baby rubbed off become.
With this method, however, care must be taken that the baby's skin is only moist, not kept wet becomes.
The evaporation of moisture on the skin surface has one cooling effect and can lower the fever this way.
In addition, so-called Pulse wrap, so moist wraps that around the wrists Being swaddled by a baby is an ideal way to lower a fever.
You can also do this with babies antipyretic drugs be applied.
Especially paracetamol and ibuprofen, which are in one age-appropriate dose given can help lower the fever.
A toddler can usually compare to a baby significantly better deal with an increase in body temperature. Nevertheless, parents of affected small children should always pay attention to whether the child excessively slack or even seems apathetic.
If in doubt, a pediatrician should be consulted promptly, even with a toddler.
In the case of a toddler, a adequate hydration be respected.
The lowering of the fever can, depending on the temperature of the toddler, take place both with medicines and with home remedies.
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Since if there is a viral infection that leads to a high fever, usually only one symptomatic treatment can be done, the Combination therapy Proven with ibuprofen and paracetamol.
Since both drugs are broken down and excreted from the body by a different mechanism, ibuprofen and paracetamol can alternatelygiven every three to four hours.
$config[ads_text2] not foundThe maximum daily dose However, you should take these two drugs not exceeded become.
You might also be interested in this topic: Fever in the toddler
If an older child has a high fever, it is particularly important that the body temperature is only lowered when it is absolutely necessary.
This is especially true for a child who tends to develop what is known as a febrile seizure when the body temperature rises.
Targeted treatment should be initiated immediately for the affected child.
For this reason, a child who has a fever of more than 39.5 degrees Celsius should be presented to a pediatrician.
This can determine the cause of the development of the fever and initiate suitable treatment to lower the fever.
If there is a bacterial infection, an antibiotic must usually be prescribed.
In these cases, the additional lowering of the fever should only take place if the affected child is very weak, tends to have febrile convulsions or the temperature rises to values of more than 38.5 degrees Celsius.
In an older child, the fever can be reduced by administering antipyretic medication, for example ibuprofen or paracetamol, in an age-appropriate dose.
If the fever does not respond adequately to one of these drugs, combination therapy can also be attempted in an older child.
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Parents of an affected child should alternately administer both drugs, every three to four hours.
When performing the combination therapy, however, care must be taken that the maximum daily dose of both active ingredients is not exceeded.
To be on the safe side, it is advisable to consult a doctor about any drug administration.
Read more on the subject at: Medicines for children with a fever
An adult's body can usually counteract elevated body temperatures and fevers much better than a child or toddler.
The reason for this is the fact that an adult has significantly more fluid reserves and therefore less quickly to Dehydration (Lack of fluids).
Therefore, lowering fever in adults should always be carefully considered.
As a rule, i.e. at temperatures below 39.5 degrees Celsius, no reduction in fever is necessary.
An adult also already has a mature immune system, which is effectively stimulated by the rise in core body temperature.
In this way, the affected person's organism can adequately counteract the bacterial or viral pathogens.
Read more on the topic: Fever in adults after vaccination
An adult who has already had a slight fever reduced usually takes significantly longer to fully heal.
In the case of a high fever, the lowering of the fever can take place with fever-lowering drugs such as ibuprofen and paracetamol, with home remedies or herbal substances.
In general it must be assumed that a fever not in any case should be reduced.
Especially mild fever, with temperatures of less than 38.5 degrees Celsius, should normally not be reduced by drugs or home remedies.
From a medical point of view, such a slight increase in temperature is not called a fever, but rather elevated temperature.
However, a core body temperature of more than 38.5 degrees Celsius does not necessarily have to be reduced.
The reason for this is the fact that the fever for the activation of the body's immune system decisive role plays.
Especially the Defense against viral pathogens, such as at flu-like infection, can be effectively stimulated by increasing the core body temperature.
In this context, children who have a tendency to febrile seizures are an exception.
They should also have a mild fever to avoid a febrile seizure consistently reduced become.
In lowering the fever you can different procedures that we would like to introduce to you in the following sections.
As soon as an effective lowering of fever with home remedies or substances from the homeopathic field can no longer be guaranteed and / or the body temperature rises to a value of over 40 degrees Celsius, it is imperative to resort to a potent drug.
In addition, a specialist should be consulted promptly and the direct cause of the fever should be determined.
Patients who have been shown to have a bacterial infection as the cause of the fever usually need to be treated with an antibacterial drug (antibiotic).
The choice of the most suitable antibiotic depends on the particular bacterial pathogen. Due to the special properties of bacteria, not every antibiotic can have an effect.
Affected patients should make sure when taking the antibiotic that the medication must be taken properly even after the symptoms have completely subsided.
Otherwise, the disease causing the fever may break out again. In addition, the early discontinuation of antibacterial drugs can lead to the development of resistance.
This means that the bacterial pathogens may no longer respond to the next application of the corresponding antibiotics.
Read more on the subject at: Fever despite antibiotics - what to do?
If no bacterial infection can be detected in the affected patient, purely symptomatic therapy must be initiated.
This is usually done by taking anti-fever medication (so-called Antipyretics).
Antipyretic drugs mediate their effect by inhibiting the synthesis of a specific messenger substance (Prostaglandin- E2).
As a result, the smallest vessels within the skin can be expanded by the organism.
The vasodilatation then ensures that an increased amount of heat is given off and sweat can be secreted.
The affected patient starts taking one of the antipyretic drugs after taking them Cooling process a.
The most famous drugs include paracetamol, aspirin and ibuprofen.
In addition, these medicines have analgesic properties. If the affected patients suffer from concomitant symptoms such as headache, muscle pain or pain in the limbs in addition to the fever, the use of these drugs can help alleviated several complaints become.
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The choice of the most suitable medication depends on both Height of fever, as well as after the Constitution of the patient self.
Especially the pain reliever and antipyretic drug Ibuprofen may not be taken in some patients, for example in the presence of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Even when using antipyretic drugs, it should always be noted that the rise in body temperature in the event of an infection is a Immune system stimulating effect Has.
Because of this, a too drastic reduction of the fever lead to the Negative influence on healing process and is significantly delayed.
Also should be on a adequate hydration Be careful because the patient loses a lot of fluids and minerals due to the high temperature and sweating. Assuming that in healthy people 1-3 liters of fluid should be administered in 24 hours, the fluid intake should be reduced for every increased degree Celsius of body temperature 0.5-1 liter increase.
Is it not a seasonal harmless infection, but another reason that causes fever, such as the decreased immune system (chemotherapy) or surgery, in addition to removing the source of the fever (Remove catheter etc.) and antibiotic therapy to lower the fever (Antibiotics) of the infection. This should also be done if the symptoms have not subsided after 1-2 weeks if a flu-like infection is suspected.
It is also important not to initiate any therapeutic measures that obscure the diagnosis, i.e. antibiotic therapy should not be initiated before a blood culture test has been carried out to identify the pathogen. If the spectrum of pathogens is unclear, broad-spectrum antibiotics should be given.
In the case of a fever of unknown origin, the following antibiotics should be administered: Piperacillin / tazobactam + aminoglycoside or Cephalosporin 3rd generation + Aminoglycoside.
If there is no improvement 72 hours after antibiotic administration, the antibiosis should be followed by antibacterial and antifungal therapy (Antifungal drugs). Carbapenems (Imipenem, Meropenem)+Glycopeptide (Teicoplanin, vancomycin)+Amphotericin B come into question. In general, one can say that the quicker a therapy is started, the higher the chances of success are.
In patients without accompanying symptoms and without a decrease in neutrophil granulocytes, the patient should initially wait 2-3 days without therapy in order to objectify the fever and find out the underlying cause.
There are various methods that can be used to lower the fever. In addition to the potent antipyretic drugs such as paracetamol, aspirin or ibuprofen, some home remedies can help to relieve the fever effectively.
People with a high fever will in most cases have poor appetite and should not be forced to eat under any circumstances.
Nevertheless, there is a large number of foods that can have an antipyretic effect with regular bias.
For this reason, as soon as the affected patient feels appetite, protein-rich foods in particular should be used.
The most popular home remedies for fever include vegetable and chicken broths, as well as cooked chicken, steamed vegetables and salad.
In addition, fresh citrus fruits, such as oranges, mandarins or grapefruits, are said to help effectively lower the fever without drug therapy, since an adequate vitamin C intake is considered to be beneficial for recovery.
Drinking teas, especially elderflower, lime blossom, goat's mustache and thyme, should also contribute to a faster recovery.
Cold leg compresses are also one of the most popular home remedies for fever. Even with this home remedy, however, you should critically question whether it makes sense to lower the fever at the current time.
Further information on the topic can be found here: Calf wrap against fever
The so-called "wet stockings" are an alternative to cold leg wraps. For this purpose, ordinary cotton socks can be placed in cold water, wrung out and then put on. A pair of dry woolen socks should also be pulled over the wet socks. In this way, the cooling effect of the wet stockings can be increased.
The effectiveness of this home remedy can be maximized by adding vinegar water.
To do this, linen socks should be dipped in cold water into which 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar have been previously stirred, and after putting them on, dry wool socks should also be pulled over them.
This procedure should be repeated at least twice a day.
You can find information about another home remedy here: Chest wrap
Unfortunately, these home remedies are especially used by small children not always easily tolerated.
However, it is considered counterproductive a feverish child by putting on leg compresses, wet socks, or using other home remedies in stress to move.
This can do the Course of disease in certain circumstances influence negatively.
Because of this, the Using other home remedies become necessary in toddlers and children.
For example, can regular cold washes helping a sick toddler to lower the fever and that Wellbeing of the affected child to increase.
With this home remedy, the entire body of the toddler with a lukewarm washcloth be rubbed off.
The best suitable temperature depends on the level of well-being of the child concerned and should be approximately one to ten degrees below body temperature of the person concerned.
To a Impairment of the cardiovascular system however, to avoid ablution always according to a fixed scheme expire.
This means that initially the hands and arms of the child need to be cooled down (so-called peripheral washing).
This home remedy can then be used in the area of the neck, abdomen, flanks and back of the toddler (so-called central ablution).
As soon as the upper half of the body has cooled down, so can the Legs and feet to be washed off.
The effectiveness of this home remedy can also be increased by mixing the water with a small amount of peppermint oil becomes more enriched.
With this home remedy, however, it must be noted that the application to people who are an age of at least six years have achieved is limited.
With babies and toddlers is allowed no washing can be done with water and peppermint oil.
There are also some recommendations specifically for fever Schüssler salts. So should patients with a fever up to 39 degrees Celsius Ferrum phosphoricum (Schüssler salt No. 3) take one tablet every 10 minutes.
Over 39 degrees Celsius should also Potassium phosphoricum (Schüssler salt No. 5) to be taken every 10 minutes.
At Fever derailments, the over 41-42 degrees Celsius should be enough a doctor immediately to be visited.
In some cases, especially at very high fever, it can happen that neither leg compresses nor washes cause the body temperature to drop significantly.
In some cases, it can also be caused by taking antipyretic drugs insufficient fever reduction be achieved. Also the Combination of paracetamol and ibuprofen sometimes does not always have to lead to the desired goal.
In these cases a so-called "Descending full bath" help to gradually lower the fever. When using this home remedy, you have to bed of the patient before use warmed up and a bathtub can be filled with warm water.
The Bath water temperature should only be one degree lower than the patient's current body temperature.
As soon as the patient concerned has a A few minutes has been lying in the lukewarm bath water, this can gradually topped up with cold water become.
The bath water should be this way within a period of about ten to fifteen minutes lowered to a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius become.
In addition, the affected patient's body can be rubbed with a washcloth or light massage brush during the cooling process.
In this way, the feeling of coldness can be alleviated a little and the well-being of the person affected can be increased.
For people who do not want to resort to highly potent antipyretic drugs straight away, there are a number of ways in which the fever can naturally be reduced.
In addition to the well-known home remedies, such as leg wraps, peppermint wraps and wet socks, various herbal supplements can help to effectively lower the body temperature.
As a rule, however, only mild to moderate fevers can be effectively reduced without potent medication.
Body temperatures of more than 39.5 degrees Celsius, on the other hand, only rarely respond to herbal medicines.
There are a number of ways in which the fever can be naturally reduced for the affected patient. Linden blossom tea, for example, is particularly suitable for treating fever in toddlers and children. There are a variety of ways this natural home remedy can be used for raised body temperature and high fever. It is most effective when a tea is made from one to two teaspoons of linden blossom and about 250 milliliters of water. After preparation, the linden blossom tea can be drunk in small sips. This method should be repeated about three to five times a day. When drinking linden blossom tea, however, it must be noted that it is not suitable for long-term therapy due to its sweat-inducing effect.
In addition, too much of this home remedy can lead to mild diarrhea.
Wiesengeissbart can also help.
Read more on this topic: Home remedies for a fever
By homeopathic activities can also reduce fever.
This can be particularly useful if the affected patient still changes despite only a slight increase increasingly limp and exhausted feel
The most popular homeopathic active ingredients that can be used to lower fever are belladonna, ferrum phosphoricum, and aconitum napellus.
At Belladonna (Deadly nightshade) is a plant that belongs to the nightshade family.
Belladonna can be used as a medicine in the field of homeopathy feverish infections and early inflammatory responses different organ systems are used.
Especially with children Belladonna is often used for otitis media associated with a high fever.
Also at Ferrum phosphoricum it is a homeopathic drug that can be used as a fever and inflammatory drug.
The remedy can be particularly effective Respiratory diseases, for example runny nose, laryngitis or pneumonia or if you have the flu.
Also heard Aconitum napellus (Monkshood) to the most famous homeopathic remedies that can be used to lower fever.
Especially if you have an acute fever, which occurs at night and increases rapidly, the remedy from the field of homeopathy should be particularly effective.
In addition to its fever-lowering properties, Monkshood works calming and relaxing.
