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As the cough and cold season looms over us all, a simple sign of illness our immune system tells us is fever. A fever is a natural response our body takes in response to infections, drug reactions, physical activity, or even unknown causes. What it all boils down to though, is that a fever causes pain and discomfort that should be assessed and treated properly.
Fever is among one of the top 20 reasons a person seeks medical care, and although most fevers resolve on their own, some fevers may be indicative of a serious infection. The first step is to recognize the signs of a fever. This includes watching out for headache, sweating, chills, increased heart rate, muscle pains, irritability. The second step in treating a fever is accurately assessing temperature and interpreting it correctly based on where the temperature was taken. Some common ways to take a temperature accurately are orally, axillary (armpit), tympanic (ear), and rectally. Depending on the site, the temperature can have different meanings. Please refer to the chart below.
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After assessing the temperature accurately, it's time to determine if treatment is necessary. If a patient has a temperature greater than 104°F (>101°F for children <6 months old), is at risk for hyperthermia, has impaired breathing i.e. due to asthma, COPD, or heart failure, has a compromised immune state (HIV patients, cancer patients), or any sign of head trauma then medical treatment by a physician is necessary.
When treating fever it is necessary to realize the main goal is to help make the patient feel better. This can be done with some simple tips and some over-the counter drugs. Have the person wear light clothing; keep the room at a temperature of 78°F; and keep the person hydrated.
Drugs that can help are acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil). Aspirin should be avoided in young children to avoid a complicated side effect. Both acetaminophen and ibuprofen have their advantages and one or the other should be chosen (not both) and if you are unsure of which
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medication to use, ask your doctor or pharmacist. It is also worth noting to be careful about combination products with multiple ingredients. Many drugs in combination products may not be useful to patients based on their current symptoms. Just because we are pharmacists, it doesn't mean we want to load patients on as many drugs as possible. Also worth noting is when giving medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, it may take up to 6 hours for a decrease in temperature to occur and assessing the temperature 2-3 times per day is necessary to see if any improvement is occurring. If the fever lasts more than 3 days or worsens, seek medical attention immediately.
Hopefully with these tips, a fever can be recognized and be taken care of easily. If you would like additional information talk with your pharmacist or physician.
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