Question
In early March, the child began experiencing hiccups and coughing, accompanied by a fever. After taking medication, the body temperature dropped, but it was still slightly elevated. The child’s limbs were cold and they were sweating, along with diarrhea symptoms. Although the fever issue was resolved, the diarrhea persisted. The stool test results were normal, but the child had loose stools and yellowish watery stools. The perianal area was red and swollen, the complexion was pale yellow, the general state of mind was average, there was an unusual color in the eyelids, and the urine was yellow. The child breastfed normally, but sometimes made humming sounds while feeding and occasionally hiccuped. Previously, there was a feeling of heat in the palms of hands and soles of feet without sweating, and the body temperature was slightly elevated. From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, is this due to spleen deficiency with damp-heat or indigestion?
Answer
The most common cause of a child’s fever and cough is infection. If the fever persists for more than 48 hours or is accompanied by other symptoms such as vomiting or lack of energy, a urine test is needed to determine if it is caused by bacteria, virus, or mycoplasma infection. Treatment should be chosen based on the test results. Additionally, a doctor may perform a lung percussion examination or take a chest X-ray to check for pneumonia. If the fever lasts long, one should also be aware of the possibility of EBV infection. If oral medication for pneumonia is ineffective, intravenous fluid therapy may be required. If coughing persists for a long time and the child has an allergic constitution, an allergy test may be necessary to determine which allergens the child is sensitive to and to avoid them.