Correct understanding of antipyretic patches

This is an automatically translated article.

Fever-reducing patches are being widely sold at pharmacies and are quite cheap and easy to use, so it is being chosen by many parents to reduce fever for children. However, if abused or used incorrectly, fever-reducing patches can be harmful to the health of children.

1. What is a fever patch?

Anti-fever patches are patches that dissipate heat. Its main ingredients are hydrogels - chain-like polymers, insoluble in water but capable of absorbing large amounts of water in the area where the skin is applied.
Antipyretic patches work by absorbing heat and dispersing heat in the skin area being applied to the outside. Therefore, when it is first applied, it will have a cool feeling, making the baby feel more comfortable. However, how long does the fever reducer really last? If you pay close attention, parents will see that the cooling ability of the patch does not last long. The patched skin will quickly return to its original temperature.
In particular, because it does not contain fever-reducing drugs, this patch does not have a cooling effect on the whole body. Some types of fever-reducing patches have added essential oils, which when evaporated will help lower the temperature and are only for external use, so the ability to reduce fever is also very limited. In fact, at present, there are no valuable scientific studies that prove that fever-reducing patches can replace drugs in the treatment of fever in children. Therefore, parents should not only use patches as a substitute for fever reducers when their children have a fever.

2. Harm when using fever reducer patches

Do not reduce fever for children: The World Health Organization WHO currently recommends against using cold compresses because it is not effective in reducing fever in children. Meanwhile, the antipyretic patch is actually a cold patch, the effect of reducing body temperature for children is very limited; Severe complications due to fever: The antipyretic ability of the patch is very limited. Therefore, if in the case of children with high fever, parents only use fever-reducing patches, it will be ineffective. And if you don't use antipyretic drugs for children, just waiting for the effects of fever-reducing patches will be very dangerous because it leads to a high risk of children having febrile convulsions as well as brain complications; Skin irritation: Children's skin is very thin and sensitive, prone to allergies. Some children may be allergic to the ingredients in the fever-reducing patches; Adverse effects on the respiratory system: The respiratory system of children, especially infants, can be severely affected if some fever-reducing patches containing menthol are used. For children with fever due to pneumonia, the use of fever-reducing patches makes the child's respiratory system work harder, causing injury and making it difficult for doctors to treat.

See more: Children with a fever of 39.4 degrees, how to lower the temperature quickly?

3. How to use fever-reducing patches for children

If the child has a high fever, parents should give the child fever-reducing medicine according to the dose advised by the doctor. While waiting for the medicine to take effect, parents can use fever-reducing patches for children as a temporary measure to reduce the child's body heat. How to use the patch is very simple: parents just need to peel off the film and stick it right in the center of the child's forehead. However, parents need to pay attention to the following issues:
Read carefully the instructions for use written on the product packaging on how to use, when and who to use; It is advisable to consult a doctor about the use of fever-reducing patches for children; Should buy stickers from reputable manufacturers to avoid buying fake and imitation goods; Do not apply the antipyretic patch to the vaccination site or damaged skin; If the baby has a history of allergies or breathing problems, the patch should not be used to avoid dangerous side effects; Always pay attention to monitor your baby during the use of fever-reducing patches, if you see any abnormal signs, you should stop using the patch immediately.

See more: Children with fever should be taken to a doctor within 24 hours if they have the following symptoms

4. What should be done when the child has a fever?

When the baby has a new fever, parents need to monitor the baby's temperature and general health for about 2-3 days. During this time, parents can use warm water 2°C lower than the child's body temperature to wipe the baby's body. At the same time, the baby should wear cool clothes, good sweat absorption, lying in a ventilated place; Give your child a fever-reducing medicine containing paracetamol according to the doctor's advice (including the type of medicine, the dose to be used in accordance with the child's weight and age). Parents should note that children should not take many fever-reducing drugs at the same time because they can cause many dangerous side effects due to drug reactions; Do not use alcohol to cool the child; For babies with fever, the mother needs to feed the baby enough. For older children, they need to drink enough water, eat in small meals during the day to cool the body and avoid dehydration; Sometimes a fever is also a warning sign that a child has some serious health problem. If the child has symptoms such as: fever over 38°C, fever lasts more than 24 hours (children under 2 years old) and lasts for more than 72 hours (children over 2 years old), lethargy, dreaming, accompanied by symptoms sore throat, ear pain, headache, rash, irritability, poor reflexes, convulsions, pale body, ... need to take the child to the hospital immediately for examination and medical care promptly. . See more: Instructions for handling when a child has a convulsion due to high fever

In fact, the use of fever-reducing patches for children is only a temporary solution to help them feel more comfortable. Parents should not use patches as a substitute for fever-reducing medications. For parents who still want to use fever-reducing patches for children, they need to consult a doctor before using. Parents should pay attention not to use the patch when the child has an allergy or fever due to pneumonia, do not abuse it for a long time. If after applying the fever-reducing patch, the child's fever does not decrease, the child needs to go to the doctor immediately. If the child has a fever of unknown cause or home treatment does not improve the situation, parents need to take the child to see a doctor as soon as possible.
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SEE ALSO:
Instructions for handling when a child has a high fever convulsion Child has a fever: When should you take your baby to the doctor? To what extent does the child have a fever to take fever-reducing medicine?