title: Why Fever Phobia Is Still Common?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fever is a reliable sign of illness, but it also evokes fear and anxiety. It is not the fever itself but the fear of possible complications and accompanying symptoms that is important for pediatricians and parents.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to investigate maternal understanding of fever, its potential consequences, and impacts on the treatment of children.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was use to explore the attitudes, knowledge, and practices of mothers of 861 children brought to four medical centers in different regions of Turkey in 2012, with fever being the chief complaint. All the children were aged 3 months - 15 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 861 mothers, 92.2% favored antipyretics for fever, either alone or in addition to external cooling measures. Most favored paracetamol or ibuprofen. In this study, the appropriate use of antipyretics was 75.2%, which was higher than that reported in the literature. In common with previous reports, seizures and brain damage were perceived as the most frightening and harmful effects of fever. All the mothers expressed concerns about fever, but they were most common among the highly educated or those with one child.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fever phobia remains common, not only among low socioeconomic status mothers but also among those of high socioeconomic status. Healthcare providers should take fever phobia into account and provide correct information to caregivers about fever at all visits.
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Turgut Ozal University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors: Suzan
authors: S
authors: Gunduz
authors: Health Services Vocational School, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors: Esma
authors: E
authors: Usak
authors: Ankara Child Health and Disease Hematology and Oncology Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors: Tulin
authors: T
authors: Koksal
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Turgut Ozal University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors: Metin
authors: M
authors: Canbal
keywords: Antipyretics; Anxiety; Febrile Seizure; Fever phobia; Social Class