High temperature: first steps to help High temperature: first steps to help from the family doctor at Dokos Medical Center

✅Focus on the general condition:

-If the child's temperature is 38.2, but they are active, playing, and drinking a lot, then antipyretics are not necessary.
-If a person has a high temperature that affects their general condition (drowsiness, loss of appetite, lethargy), then medication should be used.
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✅Before resorting to medication, make sure that:

– The room has a comfortable microclimate with regular ventilation.
- The child/adult is drinking enough warm liquids (medication often does not work in cases of dehydration, so this point is very important).
- Excess heat is able to escape from the body unimpeded: warm clothing should be removed and should be taken off.
🏆A drop in temperature of 1-1.5 degrees is already a good result. Do not expect it to drop to 36.6.

❌What should you definitely NOT do?

-Wipe with vinegar, alcohol, or other liquids that are easily absorbed through the skin, as this can cause intoxication.
-Taking analgin in combination with other active substances (e.g., diphenhydramine hydrochloride).
-Giving children acetylsalicylic acid (risk of Reye's syndrome).

🏥At Dokos Medical Center, you can use the “Call a doctor at home” service or make an appointment with a doctor at the clinic.

First steps to take when someone has a high temperature. Advice from a family doctor at Dokos Medical Center.

Author: Anna Gapenko, family doctor.