Fever is an elevation of body temperature that exceeds the normal daily variation and occurs in conjunction with an increase in the hypothalamic set point (e.g. , from 37° C to 39° C).
In simple words, fever is the condition when a person body temperature rises up above the normal range i.e 98 – 100° Fahrenheit.
Fever Overview
Body temperature is controlled by the the hypothalamus. Hypothalamus is the brain portion which controls many body functions such as releasing of hormones from the pituitary gland.
When a body temperature rises up than the higher normal body temperature, it is termed as fever. Fever is considered as the sign of your body which in turn fighting against any injection or disease naturally.
- In Adults:- According to the studies of healthy individuals 18 – 40 years of age, fever is considered when the the body temperature is higher than 100.4 ° Fahrenheit.
- For Children:-When the child body temperature is higher than 100.4°F measured rectally and 99.5°F when measured orally or 99°F when measured under the arm is considered as fever in children.
When our body is infected by any infection, in return our body immune system fights back with infection and launch an attack against the infection. The immune system tries to remove the cause of infection and high body temperature is a normal reaction to it.
In many cases, fever resolves its own when the infection is minor. However in severe infection condition the body temperature rises up and you need to seek the medical treatment. Doctors or Health experts will provide the medication to reduce the fever slowly.
Note:- Do not take any medicine on your own without consulting your health advisor as sudden drop in body temperature can lead to other consequences.
Next we will look in to the Types of Fever & Symptoms of fever
Types of Fever:–
There are various types of fever, depending on their origins and duration. Common examples include:
Infectious Fever: This type of fever is caused by an infection or a disease, such as the flu, pneumonia, malaria, or COVID-19.
Drug-Induced Fever: Certain medications, such as antibiotics and antiseizure drugs, may cause fevers as a side effect.
Heat Exhaustion Fever: This type of fever is caused by prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures and may be a sign of heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
Autoimmune Fever: Certain autoimmune disorders, such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, may lead to recurring episodes of fever.
Tumor Fever: Certain types of cancer can lead to a fever, either as part of the disease process or an adverse effect from cancer treatment.
Fever/Pyrexia of Unknown Origin (FUO/PUO): This type of fever occurs when the cause cannot be definitively identified despite extensive testing.
It is essential to remember that fever is not a disease but rather an indication of an underlying issue. If you are feeling feverish, seek medical help immediately to identify and address the source.
Click To Read More about Different Types of Fever, Fever Symptoms & Fever Treatment
Severity of Fever:-
The severity of a fever depends on several factors, including its underlying cause, age and overall health, as well as how long it lasts.
a. Low Grade Fever:- A low grade fever can be considered when human body temperature rises up to 38 degree Celsius or up to 100.4F
b. Moderate Fever:- Mild fevers are defined as temperatures between 100.4degF (38degC),
c. High Fever:- High fevers are defined as temperatures of 104degF (40degC) or higher.
In some instances, fever can be indicative of a more serious medical condition such as an infection or meningitis. If your fever is accompanied by symptoms like difficulty breathing, confusion, seizures or a rash it’s time to seek medical help.
Infants and young children should be closely monitored for fevers, even mild ones. A fever in a child under three months old should be taken seriously and requires immediate medical attention.
In conclusion, the severity of a fever depends on both its underlying cause and an individual’s overall health. If your fever is high or accompanied by other serious symptoms, seek medical assistance immediately.
Fever Symptoms
Although Fevers are not life threatening but one should seek a doctor if you have following conditions:-
a. An Adult Body temperature is higher than 103 Degree celsisus.
b. A new born baby or young baby (less than 3 months) have body temperature 100 degree or higher.
c. If fever in Child or adults last more than 5 days.
d. If a fever is not reduced by normal medicines like paracetamol, ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
Below are the symptoms of fever:-
a. High Body Temperature ( more than 100.4 degree)
b. Chills or Shivering in body.
c. Feeling Weakness, Body Tiredness
d. Sweating
e. Feeling Dehydrated
What are the causes of fever?
Fever can developed due to many health conditions, Fever can be caused due to any illness among which most common are:-
a. Infection:- Body infection in one the major cause of developing fever in human body. Several infections Ear Infection, Throat Infection, Lungs Infection, Tooth Infection, Kidney or Bladder Infection can result in fever.
b. Exertional Heat Stroke:- Exercise in higher than normal heat or humidity.
c. Non Exertional Heat Stroke:- Anticholinergics, including antihistamines, antiparkinsonian drugs, diuretucs, phenothiazines
d. Colds or Flu
e. Ear Infection (Earaches)
f. Covid 19
g. Blood clots in body
h. Drug Abuse
i. Cancer
j. Urinary Infection
How fever helps to determine Covid 19?
As we know Covid 19 is life threatening and we have already loss thousands of lives due to it.
Checking the fever is important in Covid 19. Many people infected with Covid 19 virus do not have any symptoms which makes hard to determine the Covid Virus and it can be easily transform from one body to another.
The most common symptoms of Covid 19 virus are fever, dry cough, weakness and breathing problems. As the the virus grows it decreases the oxygen level in body.
As we know the most common cause of fever is developing infection in human body due to virus or bacteria. It will be great to check your body temperature if you develop any symptoms of Covid 19, which will help to determine the Covid 19 virus in early stage and can be treated efficiently.
Fever Diagnosis:-
Fever can be easily diagnosed. Fever can be easily measured with thermometer, However finding the root cause of fever is difficult.
Physical Examination:- Doctors should pay attention to the chronology of events and to the other signs and symptoms preceding the fever. The temperature may be taken orally or rectally, but the site used should be consistent.
Apart from physical examination, Your Health Advisor will ask you some questionaries’ to get the root cause of fever such as:-
a. Travel History:- To determine if you have travelled to any infected area.
b. Diet
c. Symptoms, Any Medications course you are following recently.
Laboratory Tests:- Your Doctor may do several tests in order to rule out other disease like Covid 19, Malaria, Dengue etc.
Fever Treatment:-
Most fevers are associated with self-limited infections, such as common viral diseases. The use of antipyretics is not contraindicated in these infections. There is no significant clinical evidence that antipyretics delay the resolution of viral or bacterial infection, nor is there evidence that fever facilitates recovery from infection or acts as an adjuvant to the immune system.
Your health expert may not advice any medications for the low grade or mild fever. As mild fever is just a part of immune system signaling response to any bacteria or virus in body. These mild fevers can be treated without medication by taking proper rest, drinking plenty of water to keep body hydrated. However if the fever last more than one or two days you should immediately consult your doctor for treatement.
Hight grade fever can lead to complications if not treated well. Your healthcare expert may prescribe several nonprescription medication, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others).
How to Prevent Fever?
Fever can be prevented by following the usual daily health practices which helps in reducing the chances getting infected and mitigating the risk of an infection.
To reduce the risk of getting infected or transmitting infection one should follows the below practices:-
a. Wash your hands regularly with soap and try to stay away from people who are infected.
b. Use of sanitizer which contains at-least 60% alcohol.
c. Use of masks while going out in public places, sanitizing the workplace, seats and vehicles.
d. Try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell, if necessary use facemask, hand gloves.
e. Use tissue while sneezing and coughing, Dispose the tissue properly so that no one comes in the contact and wash your hands afterwards.
What to do when child suffers from fever?
As we know, kids get infected from fever time to time. A low grade fever is no harm as it indicates the sign body is fighting with infection.
However, kids having weak immune system are more likely to get infected and can develop high grade fever if not treated initially. Fever is very common in young children and temperature returns to normal with in 2 or 3 days. If it lasts more, its better to seek medical advice from your child health expert.
There are many causes to develop fever in children like cough, cold, childhood illnesses like chickenpox and tonsillitis, to vaccinations.
What to do if my child has high fever?
a. Keep the child hydrated, give them plenty of fluids.
b. Monitor the child body temperature constantly after every 2-3 hours.
c. Give them paracetamol after consulting with the Doctor.
d. Keep the infants away from others at home, Try to avoid the child contacts with other people at home, avoid any kind of traveling.
e. Do not undress the child immediately or sponge them to lower down the temperature. This can lead t other complications.
f. Also, do not try to cover them with warm cloths or bedsheets.
g. Do not give aspiring to the children who are below 16 years age.
h. Give the medicines only which are prescribed by your child health expert.
How to treat fever in adults ?
As we know, fever is natural body response to the illnesses in body occurred due to flu, bacteria, virus, infection etc.
Fever increases the normal body temperature to make harder for any bacteria or virus to survive or indicating us that body is fighting with any sort of illness.
When to seek doctor for help in fever?
a. If you are getting dehydrated very frequently or have less/reduced urine output.
b. Feeling weakness, tiredness, fatigue or Headache
c. You have traveled to any place and got fever.
d. If you have high temperature.
e. If you have immune deficiency.
Most of the times fever are not life threating and they can be treated normally like other diseases. However in some circumstances if fever is not taken care properly or in early stage, fever can be life threating like in cases of Malaria, Dengue, Flu, Covid 19.
If any of the below medical condition applies to you, please consult your Doctor asap or call 999 (in UK), 911 in USA.
a. If you are HIV positive, HIV weakens your immune system badly and fever can add more threat in that case.
b. If you are transplant recipient or transplant donor.
c. If you are taking any drugs, steroids’ for which you have been warned about affect of reduced immune system.
d. If you have condition of cancer, or have recovered from cancer.
e. If you are undergoing any kind of treatment for immune deficiency.
How to treat fever at home?
Low grade or mild fever can be treated at home by following the below remedies:-
a. Keeping Body Hydrated:- Drink plenty of water and lot of fluid to keep the body hydrated. As we know, during fever human body needs more water to lower down the body temperature which in course of action uses more body water. Deficiency of water can lead to Dehydration and which in turn increase the body temperature developing high grade fever.
b. Take proper rest & sleep:- Fighting with bacteria, viruses in course of fever required lot of energy. You should take more and proper rest to get the body relaxed and try not to involve in physical activity or watching TV, listing to music etc. Try to take maximum sleep so that body can recover fast.
c. Take tepid bath:- There is often a misconception among people to take cold water bath during fever to reduce temperature. However this has adverse affect. As sudden fall in body temperature will result in shivering in response to that body temperature will even rise more to maintain the same.
It’s better to take bath in lukewarm water or tepid bath. It will help body to cool off and will help in soothing tired muscles.
d. Medication:- For mild or low grade fever, medications are not usually required. However you can still use some OTC (Over the counter) medications to treat fever such as ibuprofen, naproxen, paracetamol and acetaminophen.
When to see doctor to treat fever?
People should seek the medical or health care expert advice for them or for their children, if they are affected from moderate or high fever, even the mild fever in case of children.
If you have any following condition combined with fever or without fever you should immediately seek the medical attention.
a. Neck Pain or Body Pain
b. Cough or cold.
c. Sensitivity to light or sensitivity to sound.
d. Aura
e. Rash
f. Dehydration.
g. If a child is below three months, and has fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher.
h. If a child is 3 to 6 months and has fever 102.2°F (39°C) or higher.
i. If fever lasts more than two days.
Summary
Fever is common symptom of infection due to bacteria, viruses etc. For mild and low grade fever it can be treated at home.
Every time fever doesn’t require the medication and can be easily treated by OTC medications. However, keep in mind many of the medicines are not suitable for children and infants and you should only take prescribed medicines from Doctor.
If the fever lasts longer than two days, or anyone has developed high fever (adults and children both) you should immediate take the medical assistance and consult your Doctor for proper course of medication.