Recurring Fevers in Children

Children get fevers, and anyone with kids knows this. But children are also resilient and are supposed to bounce back quickly from common colds, infections and flu. If your child has a recurring fever over a period of weeks or months and a pattern of these fevers has developed, your child may have a greater underlying health issue going on. Fevers may not be accompanied with any other symptoms, or sometimes the accompanying symptoms make themselves known later on. And maybe the fever is accompanied by symptoms, but you don't know what to look for. Whatever the case may be, it is important to contact your family health care provider immediately.

Dental Abscess

• Children that have any form of dental abscess, which is an infection under the tooth and in the jaw bone, can have recurring fevers. The abscess can start out as something small such as a cavity and if not detected can grow into a larger problem like tooth decay. Other causes of dental abscess include injury to a tooth that goes untreated, which can cause serious infection around the gums and jaw of the tooth and can even spread throughout the body. This infection can cause high fevers until treated properly.

Immune Deficiency

• The immune system is there to fight off germs, bacteria and other harmful things that enter the body that should not be there. If a child's immune system is not functioning properly, then the child will pick up illnesses and infections easier. Often a fever will spike if the body is struggling to rid itself of these germs. This will be especially noticeable throughout the cold and flu season. Treatments are available to children with an immune deficiency.

Urinary Tract Infections

• Urinary tract infections occur when bacteria gets into the urinary tract and it becomes infected. Urinary tract infections are more common in little girls than little boys, though it can happen to both. This can often go undetected because many small children are unable to voice where the pain is coming from. But some things to watch out for when a urinary tract infection is a suspected is if the child holds himself and cries when he urinates, if the urine seems cloudy or milky looking and if she become severely lethargic accompanied by a high fever.

Rheumatic Fever

• Rheumatic fever is caused by an untreated bacterial infection from illnesses like strep throat or scarlet fever. Rheumatic fever starts out as a mild fever and then worsens over time, accompanied with other symptoms such as loss of appetite, flu-like symptoms and rash on the skin. If you suspect that your child has rheumatic fever, contact a health care professional immediately because rheumatic fever can have multiple long-term effects on the brain, eyes, heart and skin.

Ulcerative Colitis

• Ulcerative colitis affects the gastrointestinal tract, which is the lower digestive system. When the gastrointestinal tract becomes inflamed, it will develop ulcers in the large intestine and in the colon. Ulcerative colitis will cause mild fevers in the beginning and eventually be accompanied by cramping and diarrhea, and there may even be traces of blood found in the stool. Treatment is available for ulcerative colitis.

Familial Cold Autoinflamatory Syndrome

• Familial cold autoinflamatory syndrome causes fevers accompanied by a rash and joint pain after a child has been out in cold temperatures. Many parents misdiagnose it as nothing more than the flu, but over time a pattern will form and it becomes clear that there is something else going on. It is important to know that the symptoms because this syndrome usually lasts less than twenty four hours and can come on within an hour of being exposed to cold temperatures. Familial cold autoinflamatory syndrome is a genetic disorder that is passed down from one of the parents. There are treatments available, so if you suspect that your child has it, contact a health care professional.