High Fever Symptoms and Treatment
Did you know that increasing your body’s temperature helps it fight back against infections? Viruses and bacteria thrive under certain conditions. By heating up, your body can kill the invaders, allowing you to recover. Unfortunately, fevers can be dangerous when they get too high and can lead to seizures, brain damage and other complications. If your temperature is too high, you need to visit the emergency room.
What Fever Is Too High?
First, it’s important to know if you have a high fever. There’s a myth that the high fever temperature is anything over 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. However, normal temperatures range from 97-99 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, you can exceed that temperature without actually having a high fever. If it goes up to 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, you have a low-grade fever. In most instances, this is not an emergency.
However, if your fever is 105 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, you are in an emergency situation.
Children and High Temperatures – When Is It an Emergency?
Riverview Health Emergency Room & Urgent Care has a full pediatric staff available to treat children. Your child needs to go to the emergency room if he or she:
- Is younger than three months old and has a fever that exceeds 104 degrees Fahrenheit
- Has a fever for six days or longer
- Develops a fever of 102 degrees Fahrenheit or higher after receiving a vaccination
- Shows signs of dehydration
- Is hard to awaken
Go to the ER With These Symptoms
The reading on the thermometer is only one thing to consider when deciding to go to the emergency room. Whether you have a low-grade or high fever, you should go to the ER if you also experience:
- Severe headache
- Sensitivity to light
- Stiff neck
- Head pain when bending forward
- Vomiting
- Confusion
- Abdominal pain
- Seizures
When to Call 911
In most cases, you can go to the ER if you have serious symptoms. However, if your child’s fever causes a febrile seizure, you need to call 911. Children are at risk for seizures when their temperatures exceed 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Shaking, jerking, and loss of consciousness are symptoms of febrile seizures.
The body’s ability to increase its temperature to fight off infection is quite amazing. However, sometimes, its infection-fighting power can cause complications. If your fever is too high or you have other symptoms, visit Riverview Health Emergency Room & Urgent Care for treatment. Our physicians will work to bring your temperature down while addressing the underlying cause.
