Infusion when the child has a fever should?

Hot weather, the number of children with fever due to the virus must be constantly increasing. Some grandchildren who had just been treated had to be hospitalized, still because of viral fever. Family frantic, insisting on . infusion! Is it needed?

Need to consider before infusion when the child has a fever
(Photo: N. HA)

Dr. Nguyen Tien Dung - head of pediatrics, Bach Mai Hospital (Hanoi) - said that when a doctor or child has a fever suddenly two or three days, doctors do not find the cause of the fever due to bacterial infection. The initial conclusion will be viral fever.

This exclusion diagnostic method gives 90% accurate results. Excluding the case of fever children are manifestations of meningitis - meningitis, pneumonia, but the initial diagnosis is still a simple flu virus. Therefore, the child has had a fever for a few days and then fever again, he will have to do tests to find the cause .

Common types of fluids are glucose solution (5%, 10%), salt water (seawater with a ratio of 9 / 1,000 sodium chloride), a synthetic solution of electrolytes.According to Dr. Dung, if infusing 1 liter of 5% glucose, the absorption into the body is only 50ml.In return, the amount of glucose can be absorbed more orally, such as lemon juice, orange juice.

In fact, children with viral fever should only be transfused when suspected dengue with accompanied skin manifestations, or high fever, continuous vomiting, inedible, dehydrated diarrhea must be supplemented line.

The virus is not a living cell, but it lives on the body's cells. When the virus invades, the body will secrete a virus remover. Therefore, the basic principle of treating colds, fever is for children to rest, eat well, supplement vitamin C, and take paracetamol by weight. The stronger the body resistance, the faster the virus will be eliminated from the body.

It is because of this reason that there is a notion that infusion, water infusion to increase immediate resistance, the faster the fever is repelled.'There is no scientific evidence of a drug that can increase resistance in just a few days' - Dr. Dung said. There are also cases of fever, water reception, immediate support. But it is just a coincidence, children with fever are due to the effect of fever-reducing medicine.

Children with fever, not simply because of the flu virus, but also manifestations of other medical conditions, should be careful in deciding whether or not to infuse. Patients with encephalitis - meningitis, the mechanism for selecting infusions is different.

The principle is not to transmit salt, sugar because these substances go into the body will increase pressure on the skull, increase brain edema, aggravation. Patients with pneumonia, the appointment of infusion must be more stringent. The vast majority of untreated pneumonia because of the infusion will increase the burden on the lungs and heart.

In the case of dehydration, it is still best to take an oral supplement. If forced to infusion, the doctor must calculate the dose very carefully, can not be arbitrarily 'like, transmit' style.

NGOC HA