What causes high fever with cough and runny nose in a kid?

Question

Hello doctor,

My two-year-old son has had a high fever since last night. I gave 5 ml of 100 mg Nurofen (Ibuprofen) syrup. It helped but did not bring the fever fully down. He had another dose of syrup this morning for the same issue. He has wet diapers, passed stools, eats a bit but not much, drinks water, and is breastfed. He has a bit of a cough (wet) and a very runny nose. We did bloodwork.

Any thoughts?

Please help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to our portal..

I understand your concern.

I have gone through the blood investigation (attachment removed to protect patient identity), which is suggestive of viral fever with low thrombocytopenia (low platelet count).

1. From the history and investigation, it looks like a viral fever, which usually requires symptomatic treatment and will subside over a period of five to seven days.

2. Give fever medicine round the clock (four to six hourly). Instead of Nurofen (Ibuprofen), give the local brand of Paracetamol 6.80 mg/lb per dose. Nurofen affects platelet counts, so it is usually avoided in viral fevers. Make sure that the throat is clear, with no congestion, which is usually a source of infection.

3. Use warm saline gargles frequently and use soap to wash your hands. If the fever does not subside after 48 hours, please visit a doctor.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Answer 2

Hi,

Welcome back to our portal.

As I said, it usually takes five to seven days for the viral fever to subside. If the patient is improving, you can repeat the blood investigation after seven days. If symptoms persist even after three days of what I advise, you should consult a doctor. A drop in PLT (platelets) with a drop in WBC (white blood cells) is a part of viral fever presentation; it is diagnostic.

Yes, sorry I forgot to mention it, the patient should be given complete rest with adequate hydration.

I hope this helps.