Heat is one of the common symptoms of infectious diseases, and physical cooling, a traditional mode of cooling, is often widely used. However, the notion that “physical cooling is effective for all infections caused by the heat” is a mistake.
Physical cooling is based on the principle of taking the heat from the body through conductivity, convection, evaporation, etc., thus reducing the body temperature. Common physical cooling methods include the use of hot water to wipe the body, ice bags and the use of cooling stickers. In some cases, physical cooling does play a role. For example, for low-heat patients (generally below 38°C), especially children, physical cooling may be a safe and effective means of cooling. The wiping of large-vascular areas, such as head, armpit, groin, etc., through warm water can facilitate the dissemination of heat and mitigate the discomfort caused by heat, while avoiding the possible adverse effects of premature use of deflammation.
However, when faced with high heat caused by certain severe infections, the effects of physical cooling are limited. For example, in cases of bacterial septicaemia, severe pneumonia, or viral-induced severe influenza, the temperature of the patient can rise rapidly to 39°C or higher, when the body is in a state of intense stress and its own body temperature regulation mechanisms are disrupted. Physical cooling can only take a small amount of heat from the skin surface and cannot fundamentally address the problem of moving up the central temperature point of the infection. In such cases, physical cooling alone is difficult to restore normal body temperature and may delay the condition and miss the best treatment.
For some specific populations, physical cooling may even entail a certain level of risk. For example, for older persons with weak health and poor end-cycles, excessive physical cooling can even lead to localized vascular contractions, further affect the blood cycle, deprive body tissue of adequate oxygen and nutritional supplies and exacerbate conditions. For patients suffering from certain skin diseases, open wounds or allergies to cold irritation, physical cooling can cause skin discomfort, pain or even skin damage or allergies.
In addition, physical cooling is highly likely to lead to adverse consequences if the operation fails. In the case of the use of ice bags, local thaw injuries may follow if the temperature is poorly controlled and too long for cooling; and when the body is rinsed with alcohol, if the concentration of alcohol is exceeded or the extent of the rinsing is too high, the alcohol is absorbed into the blood in large quantities, thus causing serious conditions such as alcohol poisoning, which endangers health and life.
Proper understanding of the role of physical cooling in infectious fever is important. We cannot rely blindly on physical cooling in the face of an infection-induced fever. If the temperature of the heater is low and the patient is generally in good condition, physical cooling can be attempted and body temperature changes closely observed. However, if the temperature continues to rise, accompanied by other serious symptoms, such as acute breathing, unconsciousness, etc., or belonging to a particular population group, medical treatment should be provided in a timely manner, with comprehensive treatment under the direction of a doctor, which may include the use of deflammation pills, anti-infection treatment for the source of the infection, etc. Only in this way can we take the right measures to safeguard ourselves and the health of others in the face of infectious fever.
