Many misconceptions surround fever and brain damage. Illness and high fever in a child can be very frightening for parents. Many parents mistakenly believe that high fever in children is directly related to brain damage. The truth is, high fever in children is not very likely to cause brain damage. Child health experts, such as Dr. Alan Greene, clinical professor of pediatrics at Stanford and attending pediatrician at Packard Children’s Hospital, are very reassuring to nervous parents. Numerous doctors, neuroscientists and neurologists have conducted extensive research on the human brain in many different conditions including high fever. While one study may point in the direction that high fever does not causing brain damage, decades of collective research and numerous studies have shown time and again that high fever or febrile seizures do not directly cause brain damage.
Why do We Run Fever?
Neuroscientists have identified a tiny area residing within the hypothalamus as the area where fever originates. It is also the hypothalamus that coordinates the symptoms that usually accompany fever such as malaise, aches and loss of appetite. This is all an intricate coordination orchestrated by the brain to fight illness. Most bacteria and viruses can not survive in temperatures above 98.6° so when the brain raises the body’s temperature to 102 degrees or 103 degrees F, it is fighting the illness.
How High is “Too High” for Children?
While a high fever in an adult may be around 102 degrees F, children can handle much higher fevers. A high fever in children is considered to be about 103 degrees F. However, high fever in children does warrant action to bring it down. Temperatures above 106° are quite rare, but child health experts state that most children are able to handle temperatures of 107° (as long as they are not overdressed or trapped in a very hot place) or even a little higher without any detrimental long term effects that stem from the fever in and of itself. Pediatricians have their own recommendations regarding when they want parents to call or when a high fever is “too high.” Parents should consult with their own pediatrician for guidance.
Do Febrile Seizures Lead to Brain Damage?
Some children have a lower threshold for seizure activity than the average child. This may lead to brief seizures that occur when they are running a high fever. These febrile seizures are not caused by the fever itself, but by the rapid rise in temperature, such as when a fever spikes. Febrile seizures generally occur in children within 6 months of age and 5 years of age. When a child has one seizure, though, the likelihood of that child having a second seizure is minimal. More often than not, a second seizure is not likely. However, Dr. Greene states, febrile seizures last only a few moments and they do not have present any lasting effects on the child, including brain damage.
How Likely are Children with High Fever to Sustain Brain Damage?
According to Dr. Greene and other child health experts, high fever in children is not likely to cause brain damage. While high fever will make a child feel weak, cranky and achy, that is just the brain’s way of keeping the body quiet, encouraging rest so that the body can heal. The National Institutes of Health recommends that parents contact their child’s doctor when: The child is 3 months old or younger and has a rectal temperature of 100.4° or higher; is 3 months old to 1 year old and has a temperature of 102.2° or higher; a fever that lasts longer than 24 hours in a child under 2 years of age; or an older child who has a fever for more than 48 hours.
High Fever is not a Likely Culprit when Seeking a Cause for Brain Damage
It is important that parents remember that fever is not an illness. It is a weapon that the body uses to fight disease. High fever in children is generally not connected to brain damage. Child health experts like Dr. Greene have identified other causes of brain damage that may appear to be related to fever, but in fact are not. For instance, a child who has a febrile seizure may fall and hit his or her head, incurring brain damage. In this respect, the brain damage was more likely caused by the fall than it was by the fever.
References
National Institutes of HealthDr. Greene; High Fevers, Brain Damage and Febrile Seizures
