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Suggest Treatment Runny Nose And Slight Cough In Children
Question: My 20 month old daughter has had a runny nose and slight cough for a few days. This morning she seemed fine, so I brought her to daycare. I got a call to pick her up at noon because they said her temperature was 102. She felt really warm when I got her. We got home an hour later, and she didn't feel nearly as warm. I took her temperature and it was 98.6. She was never given medication. What would cause a sudden fever, then suddenly drop back to normal?
Brief Answer:
Without medications, the causes are quite few
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome.
Thank you for writing to us.
I have gone through your query with diligence and would like you to know that I am here to help. Children are extremely sensitive and develop a fever (raised temperature or hyperthermia) to various factors. But for your child's body temperature to return to normal so rapidly and without the use of any fever-reducing medications at all, the causes are quite narrowed down to:
+Hyperthermia: Caused either due to exposure to extreme temperatures or a heat stroke (which can be again due to extreme temperatures or issues with the temperature regulating centre in the body)
+The flu: Although, such fluctuations are common, there should be other symptoms of the flu as well and you can expect them to appear with the rise in temperature once again
+Very rarely, but seen as a response to stress as well: if a stressful environment, either at home or at her daycare is present this could be the reason
That being said, you may want to keep your daughter home for a few days and observe her generally. Whether or not she displays any other symptoms of a flu, how she responds to warm or hot environmental conditions, etc. But in most cases, children are just sensitive to fluctuations in environmental conditions and the cause could mostly just be a heat stroke, and do not worry too much about this.
I hope you find my response both helpful and informative. Please feel free to write back to me for any further clarifications, I am always here to help.
Best wishes.
Without medications, the causes are quite few
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome.
Thank you for writing to us.
I have gone through your query with diligence and would like you to know that I am here to help. Children are extremely sensitive and develop a fever (raised temperature or hyperthermia) to various factors. But for your child's body temperature to return to normal so rapidly and without the use of any fever-reducing medications at all, the causes are quite narrowed down to:
+Hyperthermia: Caused either due to exposure to extreme temperatures or a heat stroke (which can be again due to extreme temperatures or issues with the temperature regulating centre in the body)
+The flu: Although, such fluctuations are common, there should be other symptoms of the flu as well and you can expect them to appear with the rise in temperature once again
+Very rarely, but seen as a response to stress as well: if a stressful environment, either at home or at her daycare is present this could be the reason
That being said, you may want to keep your daughter home for a few days and observe her generally. Whether or not she displays any other symptoms of a flu, how she responds to warm or hot environmental conditions, etc. But in most cases, children are just sensitive to fluctuations in environmental conditions and the cause could mostly just be a heat stroke, and do not worry too much about this.
I hope you find my response both helpful and informative. Please feel free to write back to me for any further clarifications, I am always here to help.
Best wishes.
Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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