昨晚接到一个朋友的电话，这个朋友也是一位新妈妈，她说宝宝发烧了，有39度。听得出电话那端她的焦急和担忧，甚至能感觉她快要哭出来了。豌豆妈妈非常理解她的感受，豌豆第一次发热时豌豆妈妈也是彻夜未眠，体温量了一遍又一遍（感谢现在有了电子体温计，真难以想象如果使用的是口腔、腋下或肛温计的情况。）对于宝宝发热的担忧和害怕，大部分妈妈应该都曾感受过，由于大家对于宝宝发热存在一些误解，所以豌豆妈妈在网上找了一篇比较可靠的文章，简单翻译如下：

                                                      发热 - 误解 vs. 真相

      大家对于发热的误解非常普遍。在宝宝出现发热情况时，许多父母极度担忧甚至失眠。这种情况被称为发热恐惧症。一般来说，发热本身不会导致身体受损。 以下是一些关于发热的真相信息：

误解：所有发热都对孩子有害。

真相：发热可启动身体的免疫系统，帮助身体对抗感染。发热是身体的保护性机制之一。一般的发热，即37.8° - 40° C，实际对患病的孩子是有益的。

误解：40° C以上的发热很危险，可导致神经受损。

真相：感染导致的发热不会导致大脑或神经受损。只有在体温超过42° C时才会导致大脑受损。但这么极端的高体温通常是由极端的环境温度导致的，比如孩子大热天被困在封闭的汽车内。

误解：任何人都可出现热性惊厥。

真相：只有大约4%的孩子会出现热性惊厥。

误解：热性惊厥会损害身体。

真相：热性惊厥看上去非常令人恐惧，但通常都会在5分钟内停止。且不会导致永久性损害。

误解：所有发热均需要用退烧药。 

真相：发热只有在导致身体不适时才需要进行处理。一般的发热不会导致任何不适，除非体温达39° 或 39.5° C以上。

误解：如果不处理，体温会继续上升。

真相：错误。由于大脑本身具有体温调节机制，由感染导致的发热一般不会超过39.5°- 40° C。极少会出现40.5° 或 41.0° C以上体温的情况，尽管后者被称为高热，但仍对身体无害。

误解：治疗后，体温应降到正常水平。

真相：治疗后，体温一般会下降1° 或1.5° C。

误解：如果体温不降下来，那么疾病肯定很严重。

真相：退烧药用了无效的发热可能是由病毒或细菌感染导致的发热。但与感染的严重程度无关。

误解：用了退烧药后一旦体温降下来，就应该保持稳定。

真相：大部分病毒感染导致的发热一般都会持续2或3天。所以当退烧药的药效减弱后，体温又会回升，需要重新处理。在孩子的身体击败了病毒后，体温便会维持正常（通常要到第4天）。

误解：如果出现高热，那一定病得很重。

真相：如果出现高热，疾病可能严重也可能不严重。观察孩子的状态，如果孩子看上去病得很重，则导致发热的疾病可能真的很严重。

误解：具体的体温测量值很重要。

真相：孩子看上去情况如何更重要，而不是具体的体温数值。

总结：记住，发热是身体在与感染作斗争。发热是站在我们这一边的！

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英文全文如下：

Fever - Myths Versus Facts

Misconceptions about fever are commonplace. Many parents needlessly worry and lose sleep when their child has a fever. This is called fever phobia. Overall, fevers are harmless. Let the following facts help you put fever into perspective: 

MYTH: My child feels warm, so she has a fever.

FACT: Children can feel warm for a many reasons such as playing hard, crying, getting out of a warm bed or being outside on a hot day. They are “giving off heat”. Their skin temperature should return to normal in 10 to 20 minutes. Once these causes are excluded, about 80% of children who feel warm and act sick actually have a fever. If you want to be sure, take their temperature.  The following are the cutoffs for fever using different types of thermometers:

Rectal, ear or temporal artery thermometers: 100.4° F (38.0° C) or higher
Oral or pacifier thermometers: 100° F (37.8° C) or higher
Under the arm (Axillary or Armpit) temperatures: 99° F (37.2° C) or higher
MYTH:  All fevers are bad for children.

FACT:  Fevers turn on the body's immune system and help the body fight infection. Fevers are one of the body's protective mechanisms. Normal fevers between 100° and 104° F (37.8° - 40° C) are actually good for sick children.

MYTH:  Fevers above 104° F (40° C) are dangerous and can cause brain damage.

FACT:  Fevers with infections don't cause brain damage.  Only body temperatures above 108° F (42° C) can cause brain damage.  The body temperature climbs this high only with extreme environmental temperatures (for example, if a child is confined to a closed car in hot weather).

MYTH:  Anyone can have a febrile seizure (seizure triggered by fever).

FACT:  Only 4% of children can have a febrile seizure.

MYTH:  Febrile seizures are harmful.

FACT:  Febrile seizures are scary to watch, but they usually stop within 5 minutes.  They cause no permanent harm. Children who have had febrile seizures do not have a greater risk for developmental delays, learning disabilities, or seizures without fever.

MYTH:  All fevers need to be treated with fever medicine.

FACT:  Fevers only need to be treated if they cause discomfort.  Usually fevers don't cause any discomfort until they go above 102° or 103° F (39° or 39.5° C).

MYTH:  Without treatment, fevers will keep going higher.

FACT:  Wrong.  Because the brain has a thermostat, fevers from infection usually don't go above 103° or 104° F (39.5°- 40° C). They rarely go to 105° or 106° F (40.6° or 41.1° C). While the latter are "high" fevers, they are harmless ones.

MYTH:  With treatment, fevers should come down to normal.

FACT:  With treatment, fevers usually come down 2° or 3° F (1° or 1.5° C).

MYTH:  If the fever doesn't come down (if you can't "break the fever"), the cause is serious.

FACT:  Fevers that don't respond to fever medicine can be caused by viruses or bacteria.  It doesn't relate to the seriousness of the infection.

MYTH: Once the fever comes down with medicines, it should stay down.

FACT: The fever will normally last for 2 or 3 days with most viral infections.  Therefore, when the fever medicine wears off, the fever will return and need to be treated again.  The fever will go away and not return once your child’s body overpowers the virus (usually by the fourth day).

MYTH: If the fever is high, the cause is serious.

FACT:  If the fever is high, the cause may or may not be serious. If your child looks very sick, the cause is more likely to be serious.

MYTH:  The exact number of the temperature is very important.

FACT:  How your child looks is what's important, not the exact temperature.

MYTH:  Oral temperatures between 98.7° and 100° F (37.1° to 37.8° C) are low-grade fevers.

FACT:  These temperatures are normal variations. The body's temperature normally changes throughout the day. It peaks in the late afternoon and evening. An actual low-grade fever is 100° F to 102° F (37.8° - 39° C) .

SUMMARY: Remember that fever is fighting off your child's infection. Fever is one of the good guys.

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Author and Senior Reviewer: Barton D. Schmitt, M.D.

Content Set: Pediatric HouseCalls Symptom Checker

Pediatric HouseCalls Symptom Checker