Nov 17, 2008 11:16 am US/Eastern
Dr. Mallika's Files: Case Of The 'Warm' Baby
Each week Dr. Mallika Marshall shares cases based on true stories from a local urgent care clinic, exclusively on wbztv.com. Names and identifiable characteristics of patients have been omitted or changed to protect patient privacy.
This Week's Case: A 5-week old infant girl was brought in by her mother and father because they said she felt "warm". The baby was fine until last night when they noticed she was hot to touch. When asked if they took her temperature, they said they didn't own a thermometer. She also had a runny nose. The parents denied vomiting, diarrhea, rashes, or cough and said the child was eating well.
Upon arrival to the clinic, the baby's exam was normal except she had a rectal temperature of 101.7 degrees.
Discussion Most fevers in children are harmless, but as pediatricians, we take fevers in young infants (under 3 months of age) very seriously. Even though in most cases, the cause turns out to be a run-of-the-mill viral illness, in some, a fever is an indication of something more serious like meningitis, pneumonia, a urinary tract infection, or an infection in the blood. Young infants have immature immune systems and can get very sick, very quickly. Therefore, if you think your newborn feels warm to touch, you really must take her temperature using a rectal thermometer. If the temperature is 100.5 degrees or greater, you should call your pediatrician right away. Chances are, your doctor will want to evaluate you baby sooner rather than later.
If you ever have questions about what constitutes a fever in your child, at any age, and how to treat it, call your pediatrician.
Follow-Up The baby underwent several tests, including blood and urine cultures, to ensure that she didn't have a serious infection. All of the testing was negative. Mom and Dad were reassured that their baby had a simple viral infection that would likely pass in a few days. They were instructed to give her acetaminophen every four hours and continue to feed her as normal. The pediatrician kept in close contact with the family and within 72 hours, the fever and runny nose had resolved. The baby is reportedly doing well.
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