Causes of low body temperature in a child after illness

It's no secret that acute respiratory diseases in most cases are accompanied by an increase in body temperature. Fever is a natural reaction of the human body to toxins formed during the life of pathogenic microorganisms, during which the thermoregulatory zones located in the brain are irritated.

When body temperature rises to 39°C, almost all known viruses die. But sometimes with colds and viral infections, body temperature does not increase, but decreases. Such a strange phenomenon usually causes anxiety and bewilderment. Is it dangerous? What to do in this situation?

Why does the temperature drop during acute respiratory diseases?

In fact, low body temperature during a cold, accompanied by tachycardia, is not such a rare symptom. It’s just that the body of a sick person is exhausted and exhausted, it is not able to maintain body heat at a normal level. A sharp drop in body temperature during an acute respiratory disease is a sure sign of exhaustion of the immune system. In this case, the body surrenders to the onslaught of viruses and pathogenic bacteria.

• Medical experts generally believe that the temperature of a healthy person is 36.6°C.
• But in reality, the human body can heat up to 37°C and cool down to 36°C during the day.

And this is a normal phenomenon, depending on the physical condition of the body and environmental conditions. A small number of people have a body temperature that does not exceed 35.5°C at all throughout their lives. These people manage to live fully at such low temperatures until their hair turns gray. But if, during a flu or cold, the body suddenly cools down to 35.0 - 35.5 ° C, then the body’s defenses are depleted and can no longer fight the infection.

Low temperature in a child from 1 month to 1 year

In infants, thermoregulation is just beginning to develop, like all other functions of the body.

Children aged 1-12 months are still learning to keep their temperature at 36.6, so a decrease easily occurs with the slightest hypothermia.

Due to their even less development and inactivity, premature babies are characterized by constant hypothermia of about 35.5℃. But a low temperature can also appear due to a painful condition. This is typical for the following situations:

• One of the forms of a viral infection. It can occur without a previous increase in temperature. If a baby at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 months stays at about 35℃ for 3-4 days and shows at least some signs of a cold or just a lethargic and drowsy state, fatigue, you need to consult a doctor.
• Reaction to the vaccine. This immune response is less common than fever. But recently, on parent forums, you can increasingly read about such cases after the 2nd and 3rd DTP (adsorbed tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis toxoid). Therefore, there is no need to take Paracetamol, Ibuprofen or other antipyretics in advance after vaccination, as some doctors advise. After all, if a child is 1-12 months old and still has hypothermia, the consequences can be catastrophic. After vaccination, it is necessary to measure the temperature every 2-3 hours, especially at night when sleeping, and act according to the situation.
• Loss of strength, which manifests itself as a low temperature in a child after illness, remains at 35.8-36.0℃ for 2-5 days. This is a reflection of the state of immunity weakened in the fight against infection. Or a prolonged reaction to antipyretic drugs taken at the end of treatment for influenza, acute respiratory infections, acute respiratory viral infections. To regain your strength, you need to spend more time in the fresh air and eat well.
• Consequences of using drops for a runny nose. They act as vasoconstrictors, and can affect the small body of a baby at 5 or 7 months not only on the vessels of the nasal mucosa, but also on other capillaries. Their narrowing can lead to hypothermia and even fainting. You need to be careful when using nasal drops, read about side effects and contraindications. The safest in this sense are preparations based on sea salt, such as Aqualor Baby, Aquamaris for children, Otrivin Baby.

Decreased body temperature in young children

In children under three years of age, in the vast majority of cases, the temperature during acute respiratory diseases does not increase, but decreases. The child's body is sensitive and weak, it is not able to effectively resist pathogens. In this situation, parents must provide the child with:

• vitamins to strengthen the immune system,
• warm clothes,
• plenty of warm drinks.

If your baby gets sick during the cold season, it is advisable to limit walking outside. In no case should rubbing be done at low temperatures, as the baby will only get worse. It is better to prepare hot herbal tea for him, cover him with a blanket, and place a heating pad under his back. Many pediatricians note that the temperature in young patients drops sharply after taking the homeopathic immunostimulant Anaferon.

What pathologies cause body temperature to decrease?

Most often, body temperature decreases when the body weakens after the flu or cold. But acute respiratory diseases are not the only causes of sudden cooling of the human body. Doctors identify many factors that negatively affect the body’s thermoregulation.

1. A decrease in temperature is almost always recorded when the immune system is suppressed.
2. Low body temperature is also observed in people suffering from vitamin deficiency.

Vitamin deficiency in the body is usually observed after severe infectious diseases, since the immune system spends a large amount of nutrients fighting pathogenic microorganisms. To normalize the content of vitamins in the body, it is necessary to eat vegetables and fruits daily and take vitamin and mineral complexes.

A sharp decrease in body temperature and an increase in heart rate is recorded in people with a cold or flu who decide to engage in sports training or vigorous physical activity. In acute respiratory diseases, the human body quickly gets tired; if it is overstressed, recovery is delayed, and the temperature drops to dangerous levels.

Therefore, doctors recommend that patients with ARVI stay in bed. When a sick person is in a calm and relaxed state, his body directs all its forces to destroy the infection.

Some people lose weight during the flu, sometimes even to the point of anorexia. In this condition, a decrease in temperature is often observed. But even people who do not have the flu and who are significantly underweight constantly have a low temperature. Also, the body can become cold due to poor circulation during ARVI, and also due to wearing shoes that do not fit, uncomfortable and tight clothing that compresses the blood vessels.

An article on the topic - what to do if the temperature jumps from 36 to 37.

Causes of low temperature

A low temperature of less than 36.2℃, also known as hypothermia, is an indicator of either low heat production or increased heat transfer.

What could be their reasons:

• Thermal energy is produced in internal organs and muscles due to metabolic reactions and muscle function. A decrease in temperature indicates a slowdown in the functioning of some body systems. The causes may be normal adaptive reactions or pathologies. In any case, it is important to understand what the reasons are and do everything possible to eliminate them.
• The release of heat to the environment usually depends on external factors. Then it’s clear what to do – eliminate the source of hypothermia. It is dangerous not in itself, but as a factor that provokes the onset of an infection or inflammatory process.

When a child was in a cold room, outside in light or wet clothes that were not suitable for the weather, everyone understood why he had a low temperature. Need to:

• bring to a warm room
• change clothes
• give it a hot drink.

If after these procedures the temperature rises to 36.6℃ or even higher, everything is fine. Explain to an older child how to behave so as not to get sick. And keep an eye on the little one more closely in the future.

Another absolutely normal phenomenon is a child’s low temperature in the morning.

35.5-36.5℃ – a natural decrease. All body processes slow down during sleep, and less energy is produced. But if you constantly have hypothermia in the evening, this is no longer so good, you need to look for the cause.

If a child has a low temperature for several days, you need to carefully monitor him to see if there are any other alarming symptoms, and consult a doctor to help determine the cause and tell him what needs to be done. After all, this indicator, if it is observed for a long time, can be a symptom of various deviations from the norm or diseases.

Diseases or conditions with low temperature 34.9-35.9℃ in children Disease or condition Signs Causes What to do

Symptoms of decreased body temperature during acute respiratory infections

It is not easy to understand that the temperature has dropped by external signs. It’s better not to worry about guessing, but to use a thermometer. Most often, a sick person with a decrease in body temperature experiences the following symptoms:

• weakness, powerlessness;
• drowsiness;
• feeling of overwork;
• apathetic state.

Some sick people become nervous, anxious, and irritable. In rare cases, low temperature is accompanied by dizziness, severe migraine, low blood pressure, and tinnitus. Adults, like children, should never rub their bodies when cooling their bodies after a cold or flu. This procedure does not normalize temperature indicators, but only worsens the person’s condition.

To increase the temperature after a respiratory illness, it is recommended for an adult to:

• make yourself hot tea with natural honey,
• drink fresh squeezed juices,
• eat fruits and vegetables daily,
• take vitamin and mineral complexes.

While lying in bed or sitting in front of the TV, you can place a hot heating pad under your side or back.

We recommend what are the normal temperature limits for adults and children.

What and how to treat low body temperature?

If your body temperature is low and you have a cold, you don’t need to worry too much. Temperatures return to normal when recovery occurs. However, if your body temperature decreases, it is still advisable to visit your doctor. A medical specialist can give recommendations on how to alleviate the condition, daily routine and nutrition, and recommend the most appropriate medications and vitamin complexes.

There are several ways to raise body temperature, get rid of rapid heartbeat and runny nose.

1. Firstly, the sick person must be in a state of peace and relaxation. He definitely needs to stay in bed, sleep soundly at night and rest well during the day, because his body fights pathogenic microorganisms even during sleep.
2. Secondly, during illness, a person needs to protect himself as much as possible from stressful situations and experiences, and try to control his emotions. Any nervous shock negatively affects the body’s condition and slows down the healing process. A person with a cold and a low temperature should forget about going to work for a while.
3. Thirdly, to normalize heart rate and body temperature after a cold, you need to eat a high-quality and balanced diet.

The daily diet must include foods rich in vitamins, microelements and other nutrients. The menu should include fresh, unheated vegetables, berries, fruits, as well as fermented milk dishes that help improve the functioning of the digestive tract.

If a doctor diagnoses a vitamin deficiency in a patient after the flu, he prescribes vitamin complexes. The body of a person who has had an acute respiratory disease especially needs ascorbic acid, because vitamin C is important for strengthening the immune system. It is useful to drink a drink made from crushed eggshells and lemon juice during illness.

To increase body temperature during a cold, you can:

1. take a hot bath,
2. drink herbal tea with honey,
3. go to bed with a heating pad.

It is very useful to drink during respiratory diseases, accompanied by a decrease in temperature, runny nose and tachycardia, restorative herbal medicines: eleutherococcus, ginseng, echinacea. It is strictly forbidden to take antipyretic medications at low body temperature.

Reduced temperature at 7-17 years old - reasons and what to do?

Starting from 1st grade, the cause of a drop in temperature can be overwork. They lead to him:

• workload with studies, various clubs, sections, studios;
• unbearable mental and physical stress;
• lack of rest and fresh air;
• lack of sleep when the child sits at night in front of the TV or computer, drifts through social networks or plays virtual games;
• stressful situations, worries about grades, conflicts with teachers, parents or classmates.

A low temperature in a schoolchild is a signal from the body that something is wrong. If you do not respond in time, the consequences may be diseases that doctors call school diseases:

• neurosis - a violation of the normal reactions of the nervous system to stimuli;
• gastritis – inflammation of the gastric mucosa, caused by bacteria, but provoked by stress and overwork;
• myopia – myopia of varying degrees, aggravated by the influence of flashing screens of mobile phones, tablets and laptops;
• scoliosis is a curvature of the spine due to constant and uneven loads.

What should parents do?

• reduce the load, leave those additional activities that the child likes most;
• walk more often with your son or daughter in the fresh air;
• monitor your daily routine and exclude the possibility of computer entertainment at night.

If a decrease in temperature is first observed with the onset of puberty, then prolonged hypothermia may be a sign of the onset of the development of an endocrine disease:

• disruption of the thyroid gland with a decrease in hormone production - hypothyroidism;
• diabetes mellitus

What to do in such cases? First consult a therapist, do an ultrasound of the internal organs, take blood and urine tests. If no diseases of the heart, kidneys, liver, or lungs are detected, or no neoplasms are found, then you need to go to an endocrinologist and check your sugar and hormone levels.

Prevention of low temperature

To avoid colds and viral diseases, accompanied by tachycardia and a decrease in body temperature, you need to harden yourself, devote time to physical training, and lead an active lifestyle. During the first hardening procedure, you do not need to immediately tip a bucket of ice water over yourself. The water temperature should be lowered gradually: first use slightly warm, then cold, and finally ice-cold water.

You need to eat well and nutritiously, when creating a menu, choose foods rich in vitamins and minerals. In the cold season of the year, when going for a walk, you need to dress warmly, and most importantly, wear only thick, waterproof, comfortable shoes. You can’t wear tight and tight-fitting boots in winter: there is no layer of air between them and your feet. As a result, the blood vessels of the legs are compressed, the limbs freeze, and the body temperature decreases.

There is no need to worry if, despite all precautions, a cold develops and your body temperature suddenly drops. After all, this means that the immune system defeated pathogenic microorganisms, but after the fight weakened. We just need to help her recover.

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A child’s temperature is low: what to do if the readings are 35 and 36 during or after illness?

An increase in body temperature is a sign of an inflammatory process in the body. As a rule, parents know how to lower the mark on the thermometer, and are ready for this.

There are also cases when the baby has a low temperature.

Some mothers and fathers do not pay attention to this condition, others worry about the health of the baby and try to find out the reasons that caused this deviation.

What readings on a thermometer are normal?

Most people are sure that the only normal temperature is 36.6 degrees. Minor fluctuations in one direction or another cause concern. However, doctors treat temperature changes calmly if it does not exceed critical levels. The fact is that the meaning of the numbers on the thermometer is influenced by several factors:

• child's age;
• floor;
• activity;
• character;
• Times of Day;
• exposure to cold or heat;
• amount of fluid consumed;
• food.

In newborn children, the temperature varies from 35 to 37.4 degrees. These values ​​are normal.

Thermal processes in babies under one year of age proceed much more slowly than in adults, since their thermoregulatory system is not fully developed.

Over time, the body will learn to regulate temperature, and it will no longer depend on the temperature in the room and the amount of clothing.

READ ALSO: main symptoms of heat stroke in children and consequences

In teenage children, the value on the thermometer changes by a couple of degrees during the day. Usually in the morning the temperature is slightly lower than in the evening.

What is hypothermia and why is it dangerous?

Hypothermia is a pathological condition characterized by a decrease in temperature below 36 degrees. At such values, the body saves resources, which affects the consumption of active oxygen by organs. Hypothermia can lead to disruption of vital systems. Indicators that require contacting a doctor:

• less than 27 degrees – there is a risk of developing coma;
• up to 29 degrees – the child may faint;
• up to 33 degrees – occurs against the background of hypothermia.

Symptoms of hypothermia:

• weakness;
• constant desire to sleep;
• slowness;
• apathy;
• irritability;
• headaches.

If after a winter walk the baby has a low temperature (below 36 degrees), this indicates hypothermia. It is necessary to put warm clothes on him and give him hot tea or other liquid. As a rule, these actions normalize the condition. It is much more dangerous if the value does not rise and persists for several days.

What can cause a decrease in body temperature in a child?

A high body temperature signals the production of antibodies to pathogens. This is a normal process that occurs when the immune system is active. Everyone knows that lowering the temperature to 37-38 degrees is not recommended.

A decrease in temperature is not associated with the development of an inflammatory process. The causes of this condition may be malfunctions in the body and pathologies of internal organs. They depend on the age of the child and some external factors.

If, after an illness, the baby has a temperature of about 35.9 degrees, there is no reason to worry. This value indicates a lack of vitamins and microelements and a general lack of strength. The condition should improve in a few days.

In newborns and infants

newborn children are completely dependent on the environment. This is especially true for babies born ahead of schedule.

thermoregulatory processes begin as the baby develops; at first, the body is completely unable to control body temperature.

premature babies experience this much more difficult, since their body did not have enough time to normalize some processes in the prenatal period.

Some newborns have congenital hypothermia. it develops due to the genetic characteristics of the body and does not pose a health hazard. at the same time, the child constantly maintains a temperature of 35.5–36 degrees.

Low temperature in infants may be associated with a previous illness or excessive use of antipyretic drugs. the body does not have enough strength to recover. After complete recovery, the baby needs to be in the fresh air and eat a balanced diet.

Everyone knows that some vaccinations (for example, DPT) have side effects in the form of an increase in body temperature. Currently, cases of hypothermia after injections have become more frequent. Of course, this is a rare occurrence, but parents should be aware of the likelihood of such a reaction. It is not recommended to use antipyretics after vaccinations without signs of fever.

in children after one year

long-term treatment of a runny nose with vasoconstrictor drops sometimes causes a decrease in body temperature. for children under 1 year of age, it is recommended to use products based on sea water (Aqualor, Aquamaris), which do not affect the nasal passages, but only improve the release of mucus from the upper respiratory tract.

Some vasoconstrictor drugs can be used for babies older than one year. they act not only on the capillaries of the nose, but also on the entire body as a whole. As a result, hypothermia develops. You must carefully study the instructions for use and know possible adverse reactions. It is better to use safe products.

Some viral diseases occur without an increase in body temperature. in children, on the contrary, there is a decrease in temperature to 35 degrees. If a child has this indicator for more than 2 days and there are other symptoms of the disease (weakness, drowsiness, moodiness), it is necessary to consult a pediatrician.

low readings on the thermometer (below 35.9) can be detected when the body is intoxicated. Most often, poisoning is accompanied by fever, but there are cases of decreased temperature. this is explained by the body's individual reaction to a specific toxin.

in older children

When a child goes to school, his physical and mental stress increases. if the body cannot cope with them, fatigue develops, which leads to a decrease in body temperature. signs of overwork:

• heavy workload (studies, clubs, sections);
• excessive mental stress;
• lack of free time and walks;
• short and restless sleep (watching TV for a long time and being at the computer overload the nervous system, as a result of which the child cannot fall asleep for a long time);
• stress (moving to another school, a new team, conflicts with friends, parents or teachers).

If symptoms are ignored, the child develops the following diseases:

• neurosis is a pathology of the nervous system characterized by impaired reactions;
• gastritis is a disease of the gastrointestinal tract that occurs when bacteria multiply;
• myopia – decreased visual acuity caused by exposure to phones and other gadgets;
• Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine that occurs due to improperly distributed loads.

To reduce the risk of developing a pathological condition, it is necessary to monitor the child’s daily routine. If you notice severe fatigue or lack of desire to attend any section, it is better to leave only those classes in which the child shows interest or that are really needed. You need to walk with your child every day.

hypothermia can develop in adolescents due to hormonal imbalances. in this case, it is necessary to check the functioning of the thyroid gland.

A decrease in body temperature may indicate the presence of the following diseases:

• diabetes mellitus;
• anemia;
• pneumonia;
• oncology;
• intestinal parasites.

How to measure temperature correctly?

Temperature can be measured in the following ways:

• orally – in the mouth;
• rectally - in the anus;
• in the armpit;
• on the forehead and in the ear - special infrared sensors are used.

The most famous way to measure temperature is under the armpit. Rules for the procedure:

• do not take measurements after meals or physical activity;
• place the thermometer in a clean and dry armpit;
• keep your hand tightly pressed (it is better for parents to hold the baby’s shoulder) - the temperature in the armpit should be equal to the body temperature;
• do not raise your hand for 5-7 minutes when using a mercury thermometer, until characteristic signals occur when using an electronic device.

It is more convenient for newborn children to measure the temperature rectally, since they cannot hold their hand. Basic Rules:

• lubricate the tip of the device with oil or Vaseline;
• put the baby on his side or back with his legs bent;
• slowly insert the thermometer into the anus 1.5-2 cm;
• hold the baby in position for the required time.

It is better to measure the temperature in the mouth for children over 4 years old, since children cannot hold the thermometer correctly. Measurements should not be taken after consuming cold drinks or food. The tip of the device must be placed under the tongue and held with the lips for a certain time.

When does a child need medical attention?

If the body temperature is low, the child needs help at home:

• warm newborns with your body and attach them to the breast;
• put on warm clothes for the baby;
• drink hot tea.

If actions do not lead to normalization of the value, you should consult a doctor. Symptoms that require immediate consultation with a specialist:

• severe lethargy and apathy;
• drowsiness;
• loss or complete absence of appetite;
• causeless whims.

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