Fever

Fever is a protective-adaptive reaction of the body to infection. This is why the temperature rises and signs of an infectious disease appear. Even 100-150 years ago, fevers were called any disease in which the temperature rises; to be convinced of this, it is enough to at least read the fiction of those times. Then we often don’t understand what the person got sick with...

Only in our time has it become clear that fever is only a symptom of some acute infectious disease (and some chronic ones during the period of exacerbation, as well as sometimes cancer).

Despite the fact that fever is no longer considered a disease, this name remains and is assigned to some specific diseases. For example, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Pappataci fever, Congo-Crimean hemorrhoidal fever, Ebola hemorrhagic fever, etc. are known.

What causes fever?

In fact, pyrogens are to blame for the rise in temperature. They can be exogenous (these are drugs and toxic substances secreted by bacteria), and endogenous (they themselves are formed in the cells of the body: cytokines, interleukins, interferons).

Actually, pyrogens, regardless of their origin, stimulate the synthesis of prostaglandins, which increase the temperature.

What happens?

Any fever, regardless of origin, goes through three stages:

1. Temperature rise. The body's thermoregulation changes and heat production begins to exceed heat loss. This is very economical for the body, in addition, the body warms up faster. Chills and goose bumps indicate that the process has begun.

2. Temperature retention lasts for several days. The chill goes away, the blood vessels dilate, and the skin becomes hot to the touch, a feeling of heat appears. At the same time, daily temperature fluctuations remain, but their amplitude sharply exceeds normal.

3. The drop in temperature during fever is either sudden or gradual. It begins when the reserves of pyrogens run out, or they stop being produced. After this, thermoregulation returns to normal and the temperature drops. Skin vessels dilate and excess heat is removed. This process is accompanied by abundant heat generation, diuresis and perspiration. Heat transfer at this stage sharply exceeds heat production.

Treatment of fever

To reduce the temperature, good old aspirin is used, as well as acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen, which inhibit the production of the already mentioned prostaglandins. If the temperature during fever is too high, cold lotions and alcohol compresses help. In case of a critical increase in temperature, you can wrap yourself in damp sheets or take baths with cold water.

Thus, fever is a normal response of the body to infection. The main thing is to determine its cause and provide adequate treatment. A symptomatic decrease in temperature should be monitored by a doctor so as not to cause harm.

Fever is an illness characterized by an increase in body temperature above normal. Fever can be caused by many reasons, such as infections, allergies, injuries, cancer and others. In this article we will look at the causes and symptoms of fever, as well as how to treat it.

1. Symptoms of fever - Increased body temperature above 37.8 degrees Celsius. - General weakness, lethargy and fatigue. - Headaches and dizziness. - Pain in muscles and joints. - Increased sweating.