Fever and Complications
Fever is frequently associated with many other symptoms, and it is blamed for a variety of complications. Most of these beliefs are unsupported, but some of them may actually have some merit. For example, while high fevers do not trigger seizures in the vast majority of children, a sudden rise in temperature could cause seizure attacks in a small percentage of children.
The Teething Fever
Strangely enough, many health-care providers still believe that a child can get a fever while teething. Many members of this camp reason that since the gums are inflamed during teething, the degree of inflammation may trigger a fever. Many guidebooks written by pediatricians claim that there is such an association between fever and teething. However, none of these books cites any medical-journal research study that might provide evidence for such a claim.
Indeed, this correlation has been refuted by research performed in carefully controlled settings. There is no proven link between teething and fever. However, many of the other symptoms associated with teething are true, such as increased drooling, poor appetite, inclination to gnaw on things, and irritability. Still, fever is not one of those measurable symptoms.
If you were to compare a child who is teething to one who is not, you would find that the teething child's body temperature was only slightly elevated (by no more than 1 degree), and the rise in temperature wasn't significant enough to be qualified as a fever.
How can I be sure that teething doesn't cause fever?
Results from well-conducted medical research have shown that a temperature Results from well-conducted medical research have shown that a temperature greater than 102°F is
Why then do so many babies develop a high temperature when they are teething? It's due to an unfortunate timing of developmental milestones. Most tooth eruptions occur between four months and 15 months of age. Coincidentally, this is also the period of time when babies become more mobile and active. When babies finally learn how to sit up, crawl, and walk around, they immediately become susceptible to a much wider range of infections.
As they explore the world, they touch everything around them. They also love putting their fingers and other objects into their mouths. This is the perfect way to catch a virus, and when they get sick from these viruses, they are more likely to develop a fever.
Fever-Induced Seizures
Many people believe that if a fever gets too high, it will invariably trigger a seizure. Pediatricians know that this is definitely not the case. It is true that some children are born with the tendency to have convulsions when their body temperature rises rapidly. However, this condition only applies to 4 percent of healthy children. Doctors call this condition febrile seizure. Even though the fever may be the trigger for the seizure, the fever itself doesn't cause the development of a tendency for seizures. A high temperature simply reveals the underlying propensity in a given child to develop seizures. The majority of children who do not suffer from febrile seizures will not have seizures, no matter how high their fever gets.
The likelihood that a child will have febrile seizures is partly determined by genetics. If either parent suffered from febrile seizures as a child, their baby will have a greater chance than the general population of developing this condition. (How much greater is hard to say, as the degree of heritability is difficult to quantify.) In addition, this tendency to have febrile seizures goes away after six years of age, so it is definitely not a life-long condition. Adults and older children never have febrile seizures.
Fact
Only 4 percent of healthy children are likely to develop a seizure when their temperature goes up. This propensity for seizure goes away after six years of age. The likelihood for a child to have febrile seizures is inherited genetically.
Seizure Prevention
Most parents believe that seizures themselves cause permanent damage to the brain. As scary as it may be to witness your child going through a seizure, the seizure attack itself is rarely dangerous. If the seizure does not last more than a few minutes, it is virtually impossible for it to cause any harm to the brain. Even if a child ends up having a seizure that was triggered by a fever, there is no need to fret over the possibility of brain damage.
Most children will never have a seizure, no matter how high their fever runs. For those few children who do have the propensity to develop seizures, research has clearly shown that aggressive regimen of fever reducers does not prevent febrile seizures from recurring. The only proven method to prevent febrile seizures is a daily dose of antiseizure medication. Most physicians do not recommend this because of the potential serious side effects of taking an antiseizure medication on a long-term basis.
Alert!
It is not necessary to take your child to the emergency room every time she has a febrile seizure. If the seizure lasts less than a few minutes and does not recur, just call the pediatrician for an appointment.
What can a parent do for a child with a past history of febrile seizures? Most doctors recommend reducing the fever with medication. Even though this does not ward off potential seizures, lowering the temperature does make the child more comfortable.
If a seizure occurs with the elevated temperature, it is advisable to lay the child down on his or her side. If the seizure lasts more than a few minutes, call the paramedics. If the seizure stops on its own after a few seconds, it's still a good idea to call the pediatrician and make an appointment. Each seizure should be communicated to the physician. If the seizures are frequent, other management options must be considered with the help of a pediatric neurologist.
