Fever Symptoms

What is a Fever?

A fever occurs when body temperature is 1� or more than the normal 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit or the 37 degrees Celsius. Mild or short-term rises the temperature of the body causes because of minor infection.

High fever occurs when body temperature is 103� and above than that. In case of high fever, contact to your doctor.

Fever is a symptom of infection or disease. Fever is not a disease. Fever helps to the body to fight the infections. Viruses and bacteria can not live in a high temperature. So because of temperature they are killed. If any person has a fever then he will look flushed and hot but he feel cold and shaking.

Causes of fever:

Temperature of body gets changed throughout the whole day even if you feel good. In morning, temperature is lower while in the afternoon and evening, temperature rises. Normal temperature of the body ranges from 97 F to 99 F.

According to the hypothalamus, temperature of the body is set. The area present at base of the brain which acts as a thermostat for the entire system. When something is to be wrong, then temperature of body rises by few points.

What happens with a fever?:

When start the fever and rises the temperature, you feel cool and shake for generating heat. Then you wrap yourself in the thick blanket and turn the heating pad. If the body reaches at its set point, you feel hot and when temperature going to normal, you may feel good. In this way body dissolve the excessive heat.

If you suffering from fever means your body gives response to bacteria or viral infection. Some of the times fever is a side effect of the medications like drugs or antibodies used for treating the seizures or high blood pressure. After getting the routine vaccination, some children or infants develop the fever like the diphtheria, acellular pertussis (DTaP), tetanus and the pneumococcal vaccines.

Sometimes it is unable to identify the causes of the fever. If your body temperature rises to 100.9 F and it continues for more than 3 weeks and doctor unable to identify the cause then diagnosis is because of unknown origin. In most of the cases, identify the cause of fever and then treated it.

Fever symptoms and signs:

When temperature increases above the normal range then fever occurs. Normal temperature of body is 97 F to 99 F. But when rectal temperature goes above the 100.4 F then considers the fever.

Depending on the causes of the fever, following are the additional fever symptom including:

Shivering
Sweating
Headache
Lack of appetite
Muscle aches
General weakness
Dehydration

High fever ranges between 103F to 106F, may have following fever symptoms:

Confusion
Hallucinations
Convulsions
Irritability seek

When to look for medical advice?:

There are some situations when you have to take advice of doctor for your child or yourself.

For babies:

An inexplicable fever is dangerous in children and in infants than in adults. Call to the doctor in following conditions:

Child smaller than 3 months of the age: If these children having the rectal temperature 100.4 F or higher than that and baby does not have any other fever symptoms and signs then call to the doctor.
Child greater than 3 months of age: Children having the age 102 F or greater.
Baby has a fever and unexplained irritability: When you change baby's diapers then he/she starts crying or when baby moved.
When baby has a fever and seems tired and insensitive: When the infants and children smaller than age 2, sees the signs of meningitis such as infection of membranes and fluid around the spinal cord and brain. In this case see the doctor.
If newly born baby having temperature less than normal: When temperature goes below 97 F. Newly born babies can not control body temperature and they become cold except hot when they ill.

For children:

Children tolerate the fever well but high temperature causes parents a great deal of concern. Call to the doctor in following cases:

Is irritable, has headache, stomach pain, repeatedly vomits or other types of fever symptoms causes discomfort.
Has a fever after left in a hot car. Look for medical care immediately.
If fever continues longer than 1 day in a child who is smaller than age 2

If you have any special conditions then ask to the doctor and special conditions such as problem with immune system, pre exiting illness etc. Doctor also suggest different precautions if child started a new medicine.

Until taking advice of the doctor do not take medicine when fever below the 102 F.

Some of the times, children have lower temperature than the normal temperature of body. This happens to the children, with neurological injury, bacterial infection in the blood and children with the suppressed immune system.

For adults:

Call to the doctor if:

Body temperature is more than the 103 F
Fever continues for more than three days.

In addition, immediately call to the doctor if any of fever symptoms and signs occurs:

Severe swelling of your throat
Severe headache
Unusual skin rash, especially if the rash gets rapidly worse
Stiff neck and pain when you bend your head forward
Unusual eye sensitivity to bright light
Mental confusion
Any other unexplained signs or symptoms
Persistent vomiting
Abdominal pain or pain when urinating
Difficulty breathing or chest pain
Extreme listlessness or irritability

Treatment for frver:

Medical treatment depends on the cause and fever symptoms. For bacterial infection, doctor prescribes the medicine such as strep throat or the pneumonia. For the viral infections containing the infection of stomach and mononucleosis, the treatment is lot of fluid and rest.

Over-the-counter medications:

Doctor also gives advice to the patient about over-the-counter medication, such as acetaminophen or the ibuprofen to lower the high fever. Adults may use the aspirin but do not give it to the children because it may trigger disorder known as Reye's syndrome.

The downside of lowering a fever:

If you suffering from low-grade fever then do not try for lowering the temperature. If you do this, may prolong the illness or cover the symptoms and it is difficult to identify the cause. Treating the fever interferes with immune response of the body. That is because the viruses responsible for causing the respiratory infections and clod succeed at the cool temperature.

For more information on Fever Symptoms follow below pages