Fever

Description

Fever is a temporary increase in the temperature of the body. It is a part of a global response of the immune system of the body. The fever is usually caused by an infection.

For the majority of children and adults, a fever may be uncomfortable. But it is usually not a cause for concern. For babies, however, even a bit of a fever may mean that there is a serious infection.

The fever usually disappears in a few days. A number of over-the-counter medications to reduce fever. But it is not necessary to treat the fever, if it does not cause discomfort.

Symptoms

The body temperature varies slightly from person to person and at different times of the day. The average temperature has traditionally been defined as 98.6 F (37 ° C). A temperature using a thermometer in the mouth (oral temperature) to 100 ° F (37.8 C) or higher is generally considered as a fever.

Depending on the cause of a fever, other fever signs and symptoms may include:

  • Sweating
  • Chills and shivering
  • Headache
  • Muscle aches
  • Loss of appetite
  • Irritability
  • Dehydration
  • General weakness

Take the temperature

To take the temperature, you can choose between several types of thermometers, including oral, rectal, middle ear (eardrum) and the forehead (temporal artery) of the thermometers.

Oral and rectal thermometers general, to provide the most accurate measurement of core body temperature. In the ear or on the forehead thermometers, although it is convenient, they provide less accurate temperature measurements.

In babies, the rectal temperature, if it is feasible, it is a little more accurate. When reporting a temperature to your health care provider, to give both the reading and the type of thermometer used.

When to see a doctor

The fever by themselves may not be a cause for alarm or a reason to call a doctor. However, there are some circumstances in which you should seek medical advice for your baby, your child, or yourself.

Babies and young children

Fever is a particular concern for infants and young children. Call your pediatrician if your child is:

  • Under 3 months of age and has a rectal temperature of 100.4 ° F (38 C) or higher.
  • Between 3 and 6 months of age and has a rectal temperature higher than 102 F (38.9 C) or if you have a lower temperature, but it seems unusually irritable, slow and uncomfortable.
  • Between 7 and 24 months of age and has a rectal temperature higher than 102 F (38.9 C) that lasts longer than a day, but shows no other symptoms. If your child also has other signs and symptoms, such as runny nose, cough, or diarrhea, you can call later.

Children

There is probably no cause for alarm if your child has a fever, but it is sensitive. This means that your child makes eye contact with you and responds to your facial expressions and your voice. Your child may also be the intake of liquids and the game.

Call your child's doctor if your child:

  • It is sad, confused or has poor eye contact with you.
  • Is irritable, vomits repeatedly, has a severe headache, sore throat, stomach pain, or other symptoms that cause a lot of discomfort.
  • Has a fever after being left in a hot car. Seek medical attention right away.
  • Has a fever that lasts more than three days.
  • Has a seizure associated with fever. Call 911 if the seizure lasts more than five minutes or your child does not recover quickly.

Ask your child's health care provider for guidance in special circumstances, such as a child with immune system problems or with pre-existing disease.

Adults

Call your health care provider if your temperature is 103 F (39.4 C) or higher. Seek medical attention right away if any of these signs or symptoms accompanies a fever:

  • Severe headache
  • Eruption
  • Unusual sensitivity to bright light
  • Neck stiffness and pain when bending the head forward
  • Mental confusion, strange behavior, or alteration of the voice
  • Persistent vomiting
  • Difficulty breathing or chest pain
  • Abdominal Pain
  • Pain when urinating
  • Convulsions or seizures

Causes

The normal body temperature is a balance of heat production and heat loss. An area of the brain called the hypothalamus (hi-poe-THAL-uh-muhs) — also known as your body's "thermostat" — monitors of this balance. Even when you're healthy, your body temperature varies slightly throughout the day. May be lower in the morning and highest in the afternoon and evening.

When the immune system responds to disease, the hypothalamus can set the temperature of your upper body. This indicates that the complex processes that produce more heat and limit heat loss. The tremor is possible that the experience is one way in which the body produces heat. When you wrap up in a blanket because you feel cold, you are helping your body to retain heat.

The fever below 104 ° F (40 ° C) associated with common viral infections, like the flu, may help the immune system to fight the disease and are generally not harmful.

Fever or elevated body temperature can be caused by:

  • A viral infection
  • A bacterial infection
  • Heat exhaustion
  • Certain inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis — inflammation of the lining of the joints (synovial membrane)
  • A cancerous (malignant) tumor
  • Some medications, such as antibiotics and drugs used to treat high blood pressure or seizures
  • Some vaccines, such as the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine, pneumococcal, or COVID vaccine

Complications

Children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years are at greater risk of an attack that occurs during the fever (febrile seizure). Around a third of the children who have had a febrile seizure will have another, more commonly in the next 12 months.

A febrile seizure may involve the loss of consciousness, tremor of the limbs on both sides of the body, the eyes revert or stiffness in the body. Although alarming to parents, the vast majority of febrile seizures do not cause long-lasting effects.

If a seizure occurs:

  • Put your child on the side or face down on the floor
  • Remove any sharp objects that are close to your child
  • Loosen tight clothing
  • Keep your child avoid injury
  • Do not place anything in the mouth of your child or try to stop the seizure
  • Call 911 or the local emergency number if the seizure lasts more than five minutes or your child does not seem to recover well after the seizure
  • Get to the emergency room or urgent care services if it is your child's first febrile seizure.

If your child does not need emergency care, see your health professional as soon as possible for further evaluation.

Prevention

You may be able to prevent the fever for the reduction of exposure to infectious diseases. Here are some tips that may help:

  • Get vaccinated as recommended for infectious diseases, like the flu and COVID-19.
  • Follow public health guidelines for the use of masks and social distancing.
  • Wash your hands often and teach their children to do the same, especially before eating, after using the bathroom, after spending time in a crowd or around someone who is sick, after petting animals, and during travel in public transport.
  • Show your children how to wash their hands thoroughly, covering both the front and back of each hand with soap and rinse thoroughly with running water.
  • Carry hand sanitizer with you , sometimes, if you don't have access to soap and water.
  • Try not to touch the nose, mouth or eyes, as these are the main ways in which viruses and bacteria can enter your body and cause an infection.
  • Cover your mouth when coughing and nose when you sneeze, and teach your sons to do the same. Whenever possible, turn away from others and coughing or sneezing into your elbow to prevent the transmission of germs with them.
  • Avoid sharing drinking glasses, water bottles and utensils with your child or children.

Fever

Diagnosis

To evaluate a fever, your care provider:

  • Questions about your symptoms and medical history
  • Performing a physical examination
  • Taking nasal or throat swabs for the test of respiratory infections
  • The order of the tests, such as blood tests or a chest X-ray, as necessary, based on medical history and physical examination

Because the fever may indicate a serious illness in infants, especially the two months of age or younger, your baby may be admitted to the hospital for an examination and treatment.

Fever of unknown origin

When the fever lasts for more than three-week — continuously or in several occasions — and there's a clear cause, is usually called a fever of unknown origin. In these cases, you may need to see a specialist in one or more fields of medicine, for further evaluations and tests.

Treatment

By a low-grade fever, your health care provider may not recommend taking medication to lower the temperature of your body. These small fevers can be useful to reduce the number of microbes causing disease. A fever higher than 102 F (38.9 C) tend to cause discomfort and often require treatment.

Over-the-counter medications

In the case of a high fever or a fever that causes discomfort, your health care provider may recommend over the counter drugs, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others).

The use of these drugs according to the directions on the label, or as recommended by your health care provider. Be careful not to take too much. High doses or prolonged use of paracetamol or ibuprofen, can cause liver or kidney damage, and acute overdose can be fatal. Do not give aspirin to children, because it can trigger a rare but potentially fatal disorder known as Reye's syndrome.

These medications usually lower than your temperature, but you can still have a mild fever. May take 1 to 2 hours for the drug to work. Call your health care provider if fever does not improve, even after you take the medication.

Prescription drugs

Your health care provider may prescribe other medications based on the cause of your illness. The treatment of the underlying cause, can decrease the signs and symptoms, including fever.

The treatment of babies

Babies, especially those under the age of two months, you may need to be admitted to the hospital for an examination and treatment. In babies this young man, a fever can indicate a serious infection that required intravenous (IV) medications and round-the-clock monitoring.

Self-care

You can try a number of things to make you or your child more comfortable during the fever:

  • Drink plenty of fluids. Drink fluids, to improve the heat loss from the skin and replace the water lost through sweat. The water and the clear broth are healthy options. Babies under 6 months should only have breast milk or formula.
  • Rest. You need rest to recover, and the activity can raise your body temperature.
  • Stay cool. If you're not shaking, dressed in light clothing, keep the room at a cool temperature, and sleep with only a sheet or light blanket.

Preparing for your appointment

Your appointment may be with your family doctor, pediatrician, or other care provider. Here's some information to help you prepare for your appointment and know what to expect from your care provider.

What you can do

  • Be aware of any pre-appointment restrictions. When you make the appointment, ask if there is something that you need to do beforehand.
  • Note the information about the fever, such as when it began, how and where it is measured (either orally or rectally, for example) and other symptoms. Note if you or your child has been in contact with someone who has been sick.
  • Write down key personal information, including the potential exposure to anyone who has ever been sick or out of the country.
  • Make a list of all the medicines, vitamins, and supplements that you or your child is taking.
  • Write down questions to ask the doctor.

To lower the fever, some basic questions to ask your provider include:

  • What is likely causing the fever?
  • What kind of proof do you need?
  • What treatment approach do you recommend?
  • It is a medicine necessary to lower the fever?
  • Are there any restrictions that I need to follow?

Do not hesitate to ask questions during your appointment, as it will happen.

What to expect from your doctor

Be prepared to answer questions, such as:

  • When did the symptoms first appear?
  • What method did you use to take your or your child's temperature?
  • What was the temperature of the environment surrounding you or your child?
  • Have you or your child taken fever-lowering medicine?
  • What other symptoms you or your child experience? How serious are they?
  • Do you or your child have any chronic health condition?
  • What are the medicines that you or your child take on a regular basis?
  • Have you or your child around anyone who is sick?
  • Have you or your child has recently had a surgery?
  • Have you or your child has recently travelled out of the country?
  • What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
  • What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?
Symptoms and treatment of the Fever