Trump's Tylenol Comments Ignite Concerns About Treating Fever In Children

Treating puerility fevers has agelong been a root of parental angst. Do you provender a fever aliases starve it? (Spoiler: Kids who are sick request to eat and portion capable to support their bodies hydrated and well-nourished, doctors say.)

But successful September, erstwhile President Donald Trump told pregnant women to “fight for illustration hellhole not to take” Tylenol complete unfounded claims it was linked to autism, nan ongoing statement complete what’s agelong been considered a modular of attraction for kids’ fevers bubbled up again.

“A friend’s babe (7 months) was moving a 101 fever connected Friday nighttime and she texted me, ‘of people now I’m frightened to springiness him Tylenol,’” one Reddit personification posted recently.

A personification identifying arsenic a wellness attraction worker posted successful a different Reddit thread past period that a diligent “brought their babe successful pinch 103 fever and said they were excessively acrophobic to springiness acetaminophen.”

The president, who has nary aesculapian training, said aggregate times that pregnant women and their children should “tough it out” alternatively of taking nan symptom reliever.

Acetaminophen is nan generic sanction for Tylenol and is an constituent successful a assortment of medications. There is nary reliable data, experts say, showing nan fever-reducer isn’t safe erstwhile it’s utilized correctly. The American Academy of Pediatrics wrote past week that studies don’t find a “causal link” betwixt acetaminophen and autism successful children aliases during pregnancy. “Misleading claims that nan medicine is not safe and is linked to accrued rates of autism nonstop a confusing, vulnerable connection to parents and expectant parents,” the group wrote.

What’s nan constituent of a fever?

When a caller and perchance harmful germ invades our immune system, nan assemblage reacts by raising its halfway temperature. Viruses and germs thin not to thrive successful lukewarm environments.

That’s not needfully a bad point — wrong reason, said Dr. Molly O’Shea, a pediatrician successful Michigan and spokesperson for nan American Academy of Pediatrics.

“Fever has worth successful fighting infection,” she said. “But location is simply a tipping constituent wherever that worth is lost.”

That’s erstwhile nan kid is truthful uncomfortable that they don’t want to eat aliases drink.

“That’s erstwhile reducing nan somesthesia makes sense,” she said. “More harm whitethorn travel from dehydration.”

Is a precocious fever ever dangerous?

When Seth Creech caught nan flu during nan 2009 H1N1 pandemic, property 6 astatine nan time, his fever soared to 106 degrees Fahrenheit.

Seth Creech successful 2009 astatine property 6. A bout pinch H1N1 sent his fever soaring to 106 degrees. Courtesy of Buddy Creech

It’s a frighteningly precocious somesthesia that would nonstop astir parents into a panic.

Seth’s father, Dr. Buddy Creech, a professor of pediatric diseases astatine Vanderbilt University Medical Center successful Nashville, Tennessee, had a different view.

“As a pediatrician, I knew that 106 wasn’t going to wounded him,” he said. “In a normal, patient child, nan assemblage is really good calibrated to support that somesthesia successful a scope that’s not going to beryllium harmful to nan child. That’s important for parents to realize.”

What was concerning, Creech said, was really his boy was acting while sick. “He looked terrible,” he said. “His eyes were glassy. He didn’t want to move.”

Fever-reducing medications for illustration acetaminophen and ibuprofen brought Seth’s fever down to astir 101 degrees. “He was wholly good astatine that point,” Creech said. “He was gold, playing Legos, video games.”

Seth Creech recovered and is now a 22-year-old assemblage senior.

“If nan kid looks good and is emotion fine, is playful and is active, you really don’t person to do anything,” Buddy Creech said. “You tin thrust that retired successful portion to spot really they’re doing and to fto nan fever summation nan unit connected nan germ to die.”

O’Shea supported nan stance that a child’s behaviour is cardinal successful determining really to respond to precocious temperatures. Signs to dainty fevers see being unusually sleepy, cranky and refusing nutrient and drinks.

Still, nan AAP recommends calling nan pediatrician for proposal erstwhile a child’s fever reaches 104 degrees.

The period for babies younger than 3 months aged is overmuch lower, according to nan group, astatine 100.4 degrees.

Creech said there’s nary grounds that giving kids Tylenol aliases different medicines to easiness their symptom aliases fevers would prolong their illness.

“Parents should consciousness secure giving their kids Tylenol erstwhile they request it,” he said.