A fever is a common sign of illness. Viruses, bacteria, or parasites cause most fevers. Most people recover from a virus infection without treatment. Antibiotics do not work against bacterial infections, such as strep throat.
Normal average human temperatures range from 97.5 to 97.7 degrees Fahrenheit (36.8 to 36.9 Celsius). This range varies slightly among children and adults. Children generally have lower temperatures than adults because they have less muscle mass and blood volume.
A fever is generally considered present when the person feels hot to the touch. However, there are exceptions. People with certain medical conditions may feel cold even with a high temperature.
If you think someone may have a fever, ask about recent travel or exposure to sick people. Check for signs of infection like sore throat, cough, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, or rash. Also, check for symptoms of other illnesses like earache, dizziness, confusion, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, or shortness of breath.
If you suspect that someone has a serious illness, call 911 immediately. Do not give aspirin or acetaminophen to treat a fever unless directed by a doctor. These drugs can cause severe bleeding problems.
Why Do We Get Fevers?
Fevers occur because your body responds to invaders like bacteria and viruses. When you’re sick, your temperature rises, and your white blood cells multiply rapidly. This helps fight disease and infection. If the body gets too warm, it becomes uncomfortable and causes symptoms such as headache, muscle aches, chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fatigue.
In most cases, fevers are caused by infections. Some illnesses, including influenza, cause high temperatures without causing illness. Other conditions, like dehydration, can also lead to a fever.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Fever?
Fever is one of the most common symptoms people experience. A fever is caused by increased body temperature due to infection, injury, illness, or other conditions. Many illnesses and injuries can produce a fever, including viral respiratory tract infections; strep throat; influenza; pneumonia; urinary tract infections; ear infections; appendicitis; tonsillitis; sinusitis; skin abscesses; spider bites; insect stings; burns; sunburn; heat stroke; heat cramps; food poisoning; drug reactions; autoimmune disorders; and many others.
There are several different types of fever. Some are associated with specific diseases, while others occur without any known cause. Body temperatures vary depending on age, sex, physical activity level, diet, environment, immune system function, medications taken, and other factors.
Common causes include the following:
- Infection – A fever occurs when white blood cells called lymphocytes multiply rapidly in response to an invading microbe. Chills, aches, fatigue, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cough, sore throat, muscle pain, and general malaise often accompany this type of fever. If you develop a high fever during pregnancy, consult your doctor immediately. Pregnant women are especially vulnerable to fever-related complications, including premature labor, miscarriage, stillbirth, low birth weight, and death of both mother and baby.
- Inflammation – A fever occurs when inflammation increases blood flow to the area where it is needed. In some cases, inflammation can lead to swelling and redness around the affected area.
- Injury – A fever develops when tissue damage stimulates the production of inflammatory mediators, causing localized inflammation. For example, a burn produces a fever because of the local release of proinflammatory cytokines into the bloodstream.
- Stress – A fever is sometimes a stress reaction. When we feel threatened, our bodies increase cortisol and adrenaline levels, stimulating the hypothalamus gland to secrete prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). This hormone travels throughout the body and raises the core body temperature.
Fever Treatment Options
Fever management aims to reduce pain and inflammation while preventing complications such as dehydration, organ failure, and sepsis. Fever is typically treated with either antipyretics or analgesics. Antipyretic drugs lower body temperatures, whereas analgesics help relieve pain and discomfort.
Antipyretics work by reducing the amount of heat produced by the body. They accomplish this by blocking the action of enzymes that produce prostaglandins, molecules that increase blood flow to the skin and muscles and stimulate sweating. Examples include acetaminophen (Tylenol), aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (Aleve).
Analgesics act by decreasing the perception of pain. These include NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), acetaminophen (TylenOL), and COX2 inhibitors like celecoxib (Celebrex).
There is no specific medicine for many conditions to treat the fever. Instead, the focus is on relieving the symptoms associated with the fever, such as pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, chills, and cough. This approach is called symptomatic therapy.
How to Prevent a Fever
Fever isn’t always caused by something serious like pneumonia or influenza, but it can still be dangerous. Even though fevers are usually harmless, they pose a threat to people with compromised immune systems. For instance, someone with HIV/AIDS might develop a high temperature without knowing why. Other examples include patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment and those taking steroids.
In addition to the reasons above, there are several things you can do to reduce the chances of getting a fever. First off, practice good hygiene. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water. Always wash them thoroughly because bacteria live on your skin and can easily spread to your mouth and nose. If you don’t feel well enough to clean yourself properly, ask a friend to help.
Next, avoid touching your eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. This includes eating utensils, drinking glasses, door handles, and anything else that could transmit germs. Also, try to keep your distance from anyone who seems ill. Lastly, drink plenty of fluids while you’re feeling under the weather. Dehydration makes you tired and weak, which increases the likelihood of catching a cold or flu.
When should you seek urgent care?
Many people think that a fever is just something that happens every once in a while and therefore does not warrant seeking urgent care. However, many illnesses can become life-threatening without proper intervention. Patients can experience seizures, brain damage, organ failure, and even death when a fever goes untreated.
There are several types of fevers requiring different levels of urgency. A low-grade fever usually lasts about one week. If it worsens, it could signify that a serious illness such as strep throat, influenza, pneumonia, meningitis, mononucleosis, or chickenpox is present. A doctor should always check out this type of fever.
A moderate fever lasts anywhere from five days to two weeks. Viral infections like colds and flu can cause moderate fever and the common stomach virus called gastroenteritis. Other causes include bacterial infections such as Lyme disease, scarlet fever, and ear infections. A physician should also see these.
A severe fever lasts longer than two weeks and may indicate a chronic illness such as leukemia, cancer, or HIV/AIDS. Severe fever may accompany vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headaches, fatigue, weight loss, and difficulty breathing. People with severe fever should be evaluated by a healthcare provider immediately.
Consult With Us
Our staff works to provide prompt and personalized care for all of our San Diego and Los Angeles patients. Our urgent care centers deliver quality healthcare in a convenient setting where you don’t have to wait long for treatment. We aim to treat each patient like family while providing fast, friendly care.
Why Do We Get Fevers?
Fevers occur because your body responds to invaders like bacteria and viruses. When you’re sick, your temperature rises, and your white blood cells multiply rapidly. This helps fight disease and infection. If the body gets too warm, it becomes uncomfortable and causes symptoms such as headache, muscle aches, chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fatigue. In most cases, fevers are caused by infections. Some illnesses, including influenza, cause high temperatures without causing illness. Other conditions, like dehydration, can also lead to a fever.What Are the Most Common Causes of Fever?
Fever is one of the most common symptoms people experience. A fever is caused by increased body temperature due to infection, injury, illness, or other conditions. Many illnesses and injuries can produce a fever, including viral respiratory tract infections; strep throat; influenza; pneumonia; urinary tract infections; ear infections; appendicitis; tonsillitis; sinusitis; skin abscesses; spider bites; insect stings; burns; sunburn; heat stroke; heat cramps; food poisoning; drug reactions; autoimmune disorders; and many others. There are several different types of fever. Some are associated with specific diseases, while others occur without any known cause. Body temperatures vary depending on age, sex, physical activity level, diet, environment, immune system function, medications taken, and other factors.Common causes include the following:
- Infection – A fever occurs when white blood cells called lymphocytes multiply rapidly in response to an invading microbe. Chills, aches, fatigue, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cough, sore throat, muscle pain, and general malaise often accompany this type of fever. If you develop a high fever during pregnancy, consult your doctor immediately. Pregnant women are especially vulnerable to fever-related complications, including premature labor, miscarriage, stillbirth, low birth weight, and death of both mother and baby.
- Inflammation – A fever occurs when inflammation increases blood flow to the area where it is needed. In some cases, inflammation can lead to swelling and redness around the affected area.
- Injury – A fever develops when tissue damage stimulates the production of inflammatory mediators, causing localized inflammation. For example, a burn produces a fever because of the local release of proinflammatory cytokines into the bloodstream.
- Stress – A fever is sometimes a stress reaction. When we feel threatened, our bodies increase cortisol and adrenaline levels, stimulating the hypothalamus gland to secrete prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). This hormone travels throughout the body and raises the core body temperature.
