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Child Having Fever, Cold And Stuffy Nose. Given Ibuprofen. Should I Be Concerned?
Question: My four year old has a temperature ranging from 39.2 to 37.2 (when given ibuprofen) for the past two days, stuffy nose and complains she's cold. This evening she was very cold until I gave her IBuprofen again.
Can it be a sign of something needing medical attention?
Her hands and feet are warm.
Can it be a sign of something needing medical attention?
Her hands and feet are warm.
Hi, thanks for using health care magic, I am sorry your daughter is unwell
Chills (in this case-the feeling of being cold when your body temperature is high) can commonly occur in a fever. There is a part of the brain that is responsible for controlling the body's temperature, when a virus or bacterial or any other infectious or inflammatory agent is present , they cause chemicals to be released in the brain which alter the body temperature thermostat (they raise the body's set temperature).To maintain this new set temperature the person shivers which generates heat.
Normally in the presence of a fever , a doctor will take a history and examine to determine the source.At your child's age, in 50% of cases it will be due to a cold.
She has a stuffy nose which may also indicate that an reason for the fever.
Serious bacterial infection is the cause in only 2 to 3 % of her age group.
A fever is considered persistant and abnormal if it continues for more than one week.
Even though she complains of being cold, this is because of the elevated body thermostat temperature, it is important not to let her wrap up, she needs to stay as cool as possible, drink cool/cold liquids, tepid sponge if necessary.
You can consider treating her for another day, if it remains beyond that time or it continues to rise, then you may want to take her to see her doctor.
The red flags (the XXXXXXX signs that pediatricians look for that may indicate more serious conditions) include:(1) no localising signs or symptoms - not the case in your daughter because she has indicators of a cold (2)pallor,weight loss, bruises, sicker or weaker than you would expect (3) prolonged fever.
If you notice any of these , you should also consider visting your pediatrician
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Chills (in this case-the feeling of being cold when your body temperature is high) can commonly occur in a fever. There is a part of the brain that is responsible for controlling the body's temperature, when a virus or bacterial or any other infectious or inflammatory agent is present , they cause chemicals to be released in the brain which alter the body temperature thermostat (they raise the body's set temperature).To maintain this new set temperature the person shivers which generates heat.
Normally in the presence of a fever , a doctor will take a history and examine to determine the source.At your child's age, in 50% of cases it will be due to a cold.
She has a stuffy nose which may also indicate that an reason for the fever.
Serious bacterial infection is the cause in only 2 to 3 % of her age group.
A fever is considered persistant and abnormal if it continues for more than one week.
Even though she complains of being cold, this is because of the elevated body thermostat temperature, it is important not to let her wrap up, she needs to stay as cool as possible, drink cool/cold liquids, tepid sponge if necessary.
You can consider treating her for another day, if it remains beyond that time or it continues to rise, then you may want to take her to see her doctor.
The red flags (the XXXXXXX signs that pediatricians look for that may indicate more serious conditions) include:(1) no localising signs or symptoms - not the case in your daughter because she has indicators of a cold (2)pallor,weight loss, bruises, sicker or weaker than you would expect (3) prolonged fever.
If you notice any of these , you should also consider visting your pediatrician
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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