Many Parents Worry About fevers to much

[Guest guest]

Many Parents Worry About

Childrens' Fevers Too Much

By Conlon

6-5-1

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Despite the knowledge that childhood fever is a natural

body defense and not a disease, many U.S. parents continue to have a ``fever

phobia'' that leads to over-treatment and misconceptions, according to a

study published on Monday.

``Caregivers need to be educated that fever is a physiologic response to an

insult that stimulates the body's inflammatory defenses, and in children the

insult most commonly is a viral infection,'' said the study, by researchers

from s Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore.

High body temperature is ``one of the many mechanisms to fight infection''

and there is evidence that various components of the immune system are

enhanced at elevated temperatures, added the report, which was published in

the June issue of ``Pediatrics,'' the journal of the American Academy of

Pediatrics.

Crocetti, chief author of the study, said in an interview, ``This

article was not intended to say just ignore a fever and don't worry about

it, it's no big deal. That's not true.''

``There are definitely kids at high risk -- the very young under three

months, kids with immune problems, kids undergoing cancer treatment,'' he

said. ``What I am saying is that ... there are a lot of misconceptions about

what it means.''

He said he still struggles with what to tell a parent who calls asking for

help with a fever, but he tries to narrow down potential problems by asking

if the child is also lethargic, has a rash or is suffering from a lot of

unexplained symptoms or other problems. Then he tries to follow up the next

day to check on progress.

What the study did find, Crocetti said, is that some parents were using too

frequent or strong doses of anti-fever drugs such as acetaminophen. He also

said sponging, which he does not advocate, should be done with tepid water

not cold, and that alcohol rubs should never be used.

His report was based on interviews with 340 parents. Of those, 56 percent

were ``very worried'' about the harm a fever might cause to a child and 52

percent said they would check a child's temperature every hour when a fever

was present.

``Caregivers need to know that in the absence of hyperthermic insults, such

as dehydration and closed, hot automobiles, and in neurologically normal

children, the body does not allow fever to rise out of control to

potentially lethal levels,'' the report said.

``Therefore, in the absence of hyperthermic insults, it is exceedingly rare

for a child's temperature to exceed 41.7 C (107 F),'' it added ``Yet we

found that 7 percent of caregivers thought that a temperature could rise to

43.3 C (110 F) or above if left untreated.''

The report said waking a child every hour during a fever to check

temperatures or to administer anti-fever drugs may be excessive and

intrusive.

``We found that 73 percent of caregivers used sponging as a fever-reducing

technique; however, two thirds performed the technique incorrectly with

alcohol, cool water, or a cool rag,'' it added. ``One study showed that

sponging was ineffective and may cause discomfort to the child even if an

antipyretic (fever-reducing drug) is given first.''

``Fever phobia persists,'' the report concluded. ``Pediatric health care

providers have a unique opportunity to make an impact on parental

understanding of fever and its role in illness.''

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