10 Tips: When to Go to the Emergency Room for Fever

10 Tips: When to Go to the Emergency Room for Fever

Fevers are one of the most common conditions out there, with each one of us having experienced one at one time or the other. In most instances, fevers are not what you would consider serious conditions and as such do not require one to go to an emergency room in most instances. Usually, over-the-counter medications as well as lots of rests and fluids should do the trick and should take care of the fever, no problem. In fact, fevers have been cited as being beneficial especially when you put into consideration their role in fighting off infections. However, as is the case with most medical conditions, there are instances where fevers are to be taken seriously as they may indicate a more serious medical condition and as such may require one to head over to an emergency room as soon as possible. It is important to know these situations so that one can get the medical attention they require and avoids any serious consequences and that is why this article should come in handy as it will look to highlight 10 tips regarding when to go to the emergency room for fever.

Every age demographic has a given temperature reading over which they should head over to an emergency room as soon as possible for fever. When it comes to infants, that is those children that are under the age of 90 days old, then if they have a temperature reading of over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, then they should head over to an emergency room as soon as possible. At that age, it is important to take any medical problems seriously, including fevers.

For those children that are between the ages of 90 days and 36 months old, then as per the subject matter experts over at FrontlineER.com, if they spike a fever of above 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit, they should be taken to an emergency room as soon as possible. As far as children above the age of 36 months are concerned, they should be taken to an emergency room if they have a fever reading of 102 degrees Fahrenheit that has been persistent for more than two days.

As far as adults are concerned, when we are talking about fevers alone without any other accompanying signs, then it obviously should take a higher reading for one to go to an emergency room. It is recommended that for adults, if one is spiking a fever of over 106 degrees Fahrenheit, they should head over to an emergency room as soon as possible as this these levels of body temperature can lead to comas and seizures as well as injury to internal body organs.

Going back to babies and infants, if the fever is accompanied by other worrying signs, then they should be taken to an ER as soon as possible. As is covered in detail over at FrontlineER.com, such signs include fever accompanied by a rash, difficulty waking up to feed, vomiting, the child appears inconsolable, hasn’t urinated in a while among many others.

Sticking to infants and children, one should ensure that they are taken to an emergency room as soon as possible if they are presenting with a fever and they have not had their immunization shots. This should be taken seriously, for obvious reasons, as it may be a sign that they may be suffering from serious medical conditions such as measles, ones that one is supposed to be immunized against.

If one has a wound and they start to present with fever as well as other signs of infection, then they also should head over to an emergency room as soon as possible. As per the subject matter experts over at FrontlineER.com, some of the signs of infection include tenderness in and around the wound, greenish-yellowish fluid coming out of the wound among other red flags.

One should also ensure they head over to an ER as soon as possible if they start to present with a fever after having undergone recent chemotherapy. This should be taken seriously since we all know that chemotherapy compromises the immune system, and as such if you present with fever afterwards, you may be suffering from an infection or illness that needs to be looked at and treated as soon as possible.

Speaking of a compromised immune system, other than those who have undergone recent therapy, another group of people that need to head over to an emergency room as soon as possible if they present with severe fever are those that suffer from HIV/AIDS for the same reasons. As per the folks over at FrontlineER.com, the same should apply to those who are taking medication that is compromising their immune system.

Fever that is accompanied by pain in various different body parts should also always be taken seriously. One should therefore head over to an emergency room as soon as possible if they spike a fever which is accompanied by any of the following; severe pain in the back, severe headache, abdominal pain as well as chest pain.

Another instance where fever should lead to a visit to an emergency room is if you spike a fever and are not sweating having been out in the sun or an extremely hot place or having taken part in a physically exerting exercise, then you should also head over to an emergency room as soon as possible as this is a telltale sign of heat stroke and should be taken seriously.

The above are 10 tips that should help you know when you should head over to an emergency room for fever, with more on the same to be found over at FrontlineER.com.

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