In a fever, the body temperature is higher than normal. If your body temperature is above the normal temperature which is 98.6 F (37 C) then you are suffering from a fever. A fever is significant if the body temperature is more than 100.4 F (38.0 C). Basically, a fever refers to a high body temperature. A fever is also called as a hyperthermia. Due to a high body temperature, a person may feel cold until the body temperature goes down. The normal body temperature of every person varies and depends on various factors including eating, sleeping, exercise and what hour of the day it is. Generally, it has been noticed that the body temperature is highest around 6:00 pm while it is lowest around 3:00 am. If the symptoms are severe and you are not comfortable then your doctor may recommend you to have an antipyretic. If you are having a high body temperature then it means your immune system is fighting an infection. So, a fever helps to resolve an infection. If your fever exceeds or reaches 100.4 F (38 C) then it is not a mild fever and you are supposed to check your body temperature regularly in the gap of a few hours until it gets normal.
Symptoms of Fever:
Due to a fever, a person can feel uncomfortable. Check out various symptoms or signs of a high body temperature or fever:
– Shaking, chills and shivering are the common signs noticed in a fever.
– Due to a fever, a person can have an ache in joints and muscles. There can be a pain in other body parts too such as a headache.
– You may face a problem in concentrating on your work.
– You may feel lethargic and sleepy due to a high body temperature.
– You may feel cold even when everyone else around you feels normal.
– Dehydration is also one of the symptoms of a high body temperature. It can be prevented by drinking a lot of fluids.
– Due to a very high fever, you may suffer from confusion, hallucinations, or convulsions. In such circumstances, one should seek medical help.
– Hyperalgesia is also a sign of a fever in which a person has an increased sensitivity to painful stimuli.
– In a high body temperature, an individual has a lack of appetite.
– Dizziness, sweating, fainting, lightheadedness, weakness, pain in the eyes, cough and vomiting are some of the other symptoms of a fever.
– Fussiness is the symptom generally noticed in children and toddlers.
Causes of Fever:
A number of factors can be responsible for causing you a fever. Check out various possible causes of a high body temperature:
– Some medications can cause you a fever.
– An infection including flu, strep throat, pneumonia or chickenpox can lead to a high body temperature.
– Silicosis is a lung disease that can occur due to inhalation of dust having silica may result in a fever.
– A fever can occur due to a heat stroke because of an exposure to high temperature or strenuous workout for a long period of time.
– Alcohol withdrawal can result in a fever. This condition arises when a person who drinks alcohol a lot either stops or reduces drinking.
– Sunburn or skin having excessive exposure to sunlight can lead to a high body temperature or fever.
– Amphetamine abuse, dehydration and rheumatoid arthritis are some of the other causes of a high body temperature or fever.
How is it diagnosed?
If a person has severe symptoms or a high body temperature then it is important to visit a doctor for a checkup. If you are suffering from various circumstances including seizures, hallucinations, pain in the chest, confusion, children crying inconsolably, trouble in breathing and an inability to walk then you should take online doctor appointment . It is quite easy to diagnose a fever. As soon as the person reaches the doctor for a checkup, the temperature is taken in order to diagnose. If a person has a high body temperature then it means that he or she is suffering from a fever. The temperature is taken when the body of the affected person is at rest as the body temperature rises during a physical activity. An individual has a fever in the following situations:
– If in the mouth, the temperature is more than 99.9 F (37.7 C).
– If in the rectum, the temperature is more than 100 – 101 F (37.5 – 38.3 C).
– If inside the ear or under the arm, the temperature is more than 99 F (37.2 C).
In some circumstances when you have a high fever, your doctor may ask you to get some diagnostic tests done. The tests that your doctor may order include X-rays, imaging scans, urine tests, or blood tests. These tests depend on your signs or symptoms.
Prevention of Fever:
Generally, a fever occurs in an infection. So, if you want to get prevention from a fever then you should reduce your exposure to germs. Good health practices reduce the risk of getting an infection. Check various ways to prevent yourself from a fever:
– You should wash your hands frequently especially, before and after a meal, after coming from the toilet, and after coming from outside.
– Viral infection reaches to your body through your hands only. So, you should not touch your nose, eyes or mouth as like this only viral infection is transmitted to your body. You should teach the same to your children.
– You should cover while sneezing and coughing.
– If you are suffering from a fever then you should maintain a distance from others so that others do not catch the infection from you.
– You should not share utensils, glasses, and cups with others.
– You should always carry antibacterial wipes or hand sanitizer with you as you do not get water and soap everywhere.
Treatment of Fever:
A mild fever helps to fight the virus or bacterium causing you an infection. So, it is not required to bring a mild fever down. On the other hand, if your symptoms are severe then you require an immediate treatment. The treatment option is recommended by your doctor as per the cause of your fever and symptoms. Check out various treatment options available for people suffering from a fever:
1.Antibiotics: If you are suffering from a fever due to a bacterial infection then your doctor may recommend you to have an antibiotic.
2.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): If you are suffering from a fever due to a cold then it means that it is a viral infection. In such circumstances, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be prescribed by your doctor to reduce the symptoms of a fever. In the case of a viral infection, antibiotics are not given as they do not have any effect on viruses. NSAIDs do not work when a person has got fever due to a heat stroke caused by a prolonged strenuous exercise or hot weather. In such situations, it is required to cool the patient. On the other hand, if the patient is unconscious or confused then he or she should be taken the patient to a doctor. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) including ibuprofen or Tylenol ( paracetamol ) are used to bring your fever down. You can easily purchase these drugs either online or over-the-counter.
3.Drink a lot of fluids: If you are suffering from a fever then you should drink a lot of fluids preferably water in order to prevent self from dehydration. Dehydration can make your situation tougher.
Complications:
Fever can make you uncomfortable due to a pain in various parts of the body. But, a fever does not have severe complications. If you have a high body temperature i.e. 103 F (40 C) or a fever from a long period of time then you may suffer from various complications including:
– Seizures: Seizure is a sudden change in the electrical activity of the brain. Due to a high fever, febrile seizures can occur. Seizures can affect a kid of 3 months to 6 years old. They are common in toddlers of 12 to 18 months old. If you have a fever above 100.4 F (38 C) then it may result in seizures. Seizures occur for a few minutes.
– Dehydration: During a high fever, there is a great risk of dehydration. When you suffer from a fever, you experience various symptoms including vomiting, diarrhoea, sweating, or a running nose. Because of these symptoms, there is obvious water loss from the body. That is why it is recommended that one should drink a lot of fluids preferably water during a fever.
– Hallucinations: In hallucinations, a person perceives something which is not present. If you have a high fever i.e. 102 F or above then you are more likely to suffer from hallucinations also. Adults are more prone to hallucinations than kids because of a high body temperature.
Myths:
Check out various myths of a fever:
Myth #1. If the child is warm then it means that she is suffering from a fever.
There can be various reasons for a child to be warm. You can easily get warm while crying, playing hard, the weather is hot or getting up from a bed that is warm. Definitely, in fever the temperature rises. But it is not necessary that fever is always the reason for being warm.
Myth #2. If your fever has come down with drugs then it means that it would not rise again.
It is a misconception that fever cannot raise again if you have already controlled your fever with medicines. It can come again. The viral fever generally lasts for 2 to 3 days. If it comes again then it needs to be treated again. The fever will leave your body when your body would overpower the virus.
Conclusion
In fever, a person has an elevated body temperature. Sweating, vomiting, cough, shaking, chills and shivering are some of the common symptoms of a fever. There can be various possible causes of a fever including a heat stroke, viral infection, overexposure to sunlight, alcohol withdrawal, and more. If your symptoms are severe or you have a high fever for a long time then you should immediately visit a doctor for a checkup. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or antibiotics are recommended by the doctor for treating the patients suffering from a fever depending on their cause and symptoms. The affected person should drink a lot of water as sometimes fever can result in dehydration. The person should cover while sneezing and coughing so that others do not catch a fever. Hallucinations, seizures, and dehydration are some of the complications associated with a fever. People have various myths or misconceptions regarding a fever. If the child is warm then it means that she is suffering from a fever is one of the common myths.
