Does Fever Cooling Sheet have Side Effects?

Author: Kongdy Patch

Date: 04 18，2022

01. The normal range of body temperature

Fever refers to an increase in body temperature beyond the normal range when the body is under the action of a thermogenic source or when the dysfunction of the thermoregulatory center is caused by various reasons.

The normal range is generally 36 to 37 ℃, with fluctuations of no more than 1 ℃.

Diagnostics (8th edition) does not mention any difference in body temperature between adults and children. However, the body temperature is slightly higher in women before menstruation and during pregnancy, and slightly lower in the elderly due to a low metabolic rate. The measurements may vary slightly depending on the method.

02. How is fever graded?

Using oral temperature as the standard, fever can be classified into 4 grades.

Low fever: 37.3 to 38 °C, moderate fever: 38.1 to 39 °C, high fever: 39.1 to 41 °C, and ultra-high fever: more than 41 °C [2].

03. fever ≠ hypothermia

Fever is not a disease, but it helps the body to inhibit the growth and reproduction of pathogens and to promote the proliferation of neutrophils and T-lymphocytes to fight infection.

There is no evidence that fever (not hypothermia) can cause adverse effects such as brain damage. The body regulates body temperature in a relatively safe range without dehydration and with an open environment for heat dissipation [1].

However, hypothermia is a sign of disturbance of homeostasis, when the body produces more heat than it dissipates, and is characterized by dry and hot skin, central nervous system symptoms (delirium, convulsions and coma).

Furthermore, cooling gel sheet is an auxiliary physical cooling preparation to prevent fever from harming brain cells, it cannot be used to treat all diseases that cause fever, so consumers must distinguish between the concepts of auxiliary and therapeutic. Finally, the physical characteristics of Fever cooling sheet determine its cooling effect is good but slow, the whole cooling process will last from 15 minutes to 4 hours, consumers need to be cautious about the market excessive publicity 1 minute cooling or 15 seconds cooling gel fever patch, so as not to cool down too quickly frostbite baby.

04. How many ways are there to reduce fever?

(1) Physical cooling

Reducing the amount of clothing worn and keeping the environment cool are good non-pharmaceutical ways to treat fever. Adequate hydration is also needed. Warm baths can lower the body temperature [1, 4].

(2) Medication to reduce fever

Fever-reducing drugs for adults are available: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (acetaminophen, ibuprofen, aspirin, diclofenac sodium, etc.), glucocorticoids (dexamethasone, methylprednisolone, etc., for acute inflammatory response syndrome or severe conditions, non-conventional use).