LeKiwi wrote:
That's a reasonable temperature, but as far as I understand it a temperature is generally not as dangerous as they're made out to be - it's the body's way of dealing with an illness and 'sweating it out', as the case may be. Only when consciousness is lost and seizures start should you really start worrying (obviously).
I hope I don't come off as a know-it-all.
High but seemingly 'nothing happens' temperature are dangerous if they are steady over more than a few limited hours. 105°F/40.5°C is a temperature like that. Death usually happens at 108.68°F/42.6°C.
I assume most parents have no clue about where as fever starts. So they get worked up if their child has a temperature of 100°F/38°C for a day. That's not even considered a fever if it doesn't continue to rise.
A temperature up to about 102°F/39°C is a medium fever. Anything above 102/39 and rising is potentially dangerous.
At that rate it can still be ok if the person in question is getting along fine. But the opposite can be the case too. That's why it depends on the person.
If a temperature of 104°F/40°C persists people usually should be taken to a doctor or the hospital to get treatment to lower the fever. At 104°F/40°C everybody's proteins start to cook and dissolve. The additional problem is that different parts of our bodies have different temperatures. At 104°F/40°C some of our organs are at 106-108°F/41°C-42° already.
(Come to think of it, 43°C is probably more accurate for the inner organs by 40 overall?)
And of course, with kids it's safest to measure the temperature rectal to get it most accurate.
Edit: Fixed to make it say both Fahrenheit and Celsius.
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Last edited by Sora on 27 Apr 2008, 5:30 pm, edited 2 times in total.