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Doctors: Parents Shouldn't Fret Over Kids' Fevers
Posted Monday, February 28, 2011 --- 7:30 a.m.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Doctors are advising parents of young children to chill out when it comes to childhood fevers.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has come out with a report that advises against treatment every time a kid's temperature inches up.
Most often, kids' fevers are caused by viruses, and they will go away without medicine and without causing any damage.
A co-author of the study, Dr. Henry Farrar, says parents tend to overtreat fevers, even waking up sleeping kids to give them fever-reducing medicine. He says "if they're sleeping, let them sleep."
The report was released online Monday in the journal Pediatrics. It doesn't recommend any temperature cutoffs for when to treat or call the doctor.
It emphasizes that a fever is not an illness but rather a mechanism that helps fight infection.
Online:
Pediatrics: http://www.pediatrics.org
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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by Traci Location: Stoughton on Mar 19, 2011 at 09:33 AMFor a while I have been aware that fevers are a mechanism for fighting illness so this validates my previous thoughts. As a rule, I try not to treat the fever unless it is too high or the child is extremely uncomfortable. With 2 young boys, ages 6 and 7, if you treat the fever, they feel so good they won't rest and rest helps them get over it faster. If they feel a little "pooky", they stay in bed where they should be.[ Report Abuse ]
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