Patient's question:
Will a baby with a fever of 40 degrees burn their brain? The baby has had a fever for two days, and it seems to be alternating between hot and cold. Initially, it was 38 degrees, then it rose to 39.5 degrees, and now it has increased to 40 degrees. I gave him medicine and consulted a doctor. Will this fever degree burn the baby's brain?Doctor's answer:
The traditional belief is that a child's fever can damage the brain. In fact, only diseases like encephalitis or meningitis, where the brain tissue itself is damaged by viruses, can impair cognitive or sensory functions. Fever does not make people stupid or deaf. According to statistics, regardless of the cause of the fever, the body temperature rarely exceeds 41°C. If it does, the risk of bacterial meningitis or sepsis is relatively high and should be particularly monitored. As for the upper temperature limit that brain cells can tolerate, it may need to reach 41.7°C for the proteins in the cells to degrade due to high temperatures, causing irreversible damage.