Question
Will a baby’s fever of 40 degrees burn the brain? My baby has been feverish for two days, alternating between cold and hot spells. Initially, the temperature was 38 degrees, then it rose to 39.5 degrees, and now it has reached 40 degrees. I gave him medicine and asked the doctor, will this fever temperature burn the brain?
Answer
Traditional beliefs suggest that a child’s fever can burn the brain, but actually, only diseases like encephalitis and meningitis can cause damage to the brain tissue due to viral destruction of the brain itself, not from fever making someone dumb or deaf. According to statistics, regardless of the cause of fever, body temperature rarely exceeds 41°C. If it does, the possibility of bacterial meningitis or sepsis is higher and should be alerted. As for the maximum temperature brain cells can tolerate, it may need to reach 41.7°C before cell proteins denature due to high temperatures, causing irreversible damage.