Fever – What is it, Causes, Symptoms and Treatments!
Fever – What it is, Causes, Symptoms and Treatments and much more is what you will learn from now on, so stay with us and discover everything about Fever , a disease that is very common among Brazilians.
In addition, the temperature of the human body is controlled by an area of the brain called the hypothalamus, which acts as a thermostat adjusted to keep the internal organs at 37º C (degrees Celsius).
This objective is achieved through the balance between heat loss by peripheral organs (skin, blood vessels, sweat glands, etc.) in contact with the environment and heat production by the metabolic process of internal tissues.
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What it is: It is the elevation of the human body temperature above the limits considered normal (36 to 37.3 °C), a range that comprises 95% of the healthy population. Temperature regulation is carried out by the hypothalamus. It can be caused by a number of factors including: infection, sequelae of tissue damage, inflammation, graft rejection, malignant process or other factors.
Fever is not a disease and generally does not require rapid intervention, it is a symptom that has an organic defense role. Its strict control does not prevent seizures (only 4% of a population of healthy children has febrile seizures), but this can be a triggering factor in susceptible patients, even with a small temperature rise. About 5% of emergency consultations have fever as the main symptom.
Causes: It occurs when an area in your brain called the hypothalamus senses an invasion of microorganisms, reacts by shifting your normal body temperature. Normal body temperature varies throughout the day – it is lowest in the morning and highest in the late afternoon and early evening.
Most people consider 37°C to be a normal temperature, but it can vary a little less, being between 36.6° and 37.8°C. Factors such as menstrual cycle or heavy exercise can affect body temperature. The Top 10 Causes of Fever are:
- Virus
- Bacterial infection
- Insolation
- Sunburn
- Certain inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis
- Malignant tumor
- Some medications and drugs, such as antibiotics used to treat high blood pressure or a seizure
- Adverse reaction to some vaccines
- Dehydration.
Sometimes the cause cannot be identified. If the patient is an adult and has a body temperature of 38.3°C or higher for three weeks and the doctor is unable to find the cause after extensive evaluation, the diagnosis may be Fever of unknown origin.
Symptoms: In adults: Occurs when the temperature rises above its normal range. What is normal for you may be slightly higher or lower than the average temperature of 37°C. Depending on what is causing the fever , additional symptoms may include:
High fevers between 39.4°C and 41.1°C can cause:
- Hallucination
- Confusion
- Irritability
- convulsion
- Dehydration
In Children and Infants: A child has a fever when the temperature is at or above one of these levels:
- Anal temperature greater than 38 °C
- Oral temperature greater than 37.5 °C
- Axillary temperature greater than 37.3 °C
- Tempered in the ear greater than 38 °C.
A common sign in babies is a hot forehead – but that’s not enough to diagnose fever . Babies and children may also feel more lazy than usual. Other symptoms associated with fever in infants and children include:
- lack of sleep
- Bad eating habits
- Lack of interest in games
- Lethargy
- convulsion
Treatments: Remember that it is only when the body temperature is above 38.5°C (unless recommended by a doctor) that the medication should be taken.
Antipyretic drugs (which lower fever ) act on the symptom and not the cause of the fever : they are only useful for fever , but not to speed up or facilitate the treatment of the infection. Sometimes, therefore, inappropriate use of antipyretics can affect the ability to treat the underlying bacterial infection.
Fever Remedies: To reduce fever , the following febrifuge (antipyretic) molecules are mainly used:
Acetaminophen, 500 mg (adult dosage): It’s the first choice, especially for children! (For dosage and dosage for children, ask your doctor or pharmacist).
For the treatment of Fever in children, it is necessary to focus on oral forms, the rectal form (suppositories) is not recommended, as there may be differences in absorption from one child to another. Ask your pediatrician. In cases of children, take paracetamol based on dose by weight every 6 hours, 4 times a day, consult your pharmacist or doctor (pediatrician).
Acetylsalicylic acid (ASS), 500 mg (adult dosage): Avoid giving this medication to children, low risk but possible of developing Reye’s symptoms. This syndrome is rare but often serious, even fatal, because it causes damage to the brain and liver . It is estimated, therefore, that the use of aspirin in children declined significantly during the early years.
Ibuprofen, 200 to 400 mg (adult dosage)
Natural Treatments: Here are the medicinal plants used for download:
- Linden, used in general, in the form of an infusion (very recommended for children and babies).
- Elderberry flowers, used in general, in the form of an infusion or capsules.
- White willow, generally used in the form of capsules or tablets.
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Recommendations Against Fever: Fever can be the warning sign of an illness that needs to be treated quickly. Therefore, seek medical assistance in the following cases:
- Temperature above 37.5º C and below 35.5% in babies under three months and above 39º C in babies over three months, or if the high or low fever is accompanied by persistent crying and extreme irritability;
- Fever lasting more than one day, accompanied by headache , irritability, drowsiness, difficulty speaking, apathy (symptoms suggestive of meningitis) in children up to 2 years of age;
- Fever in people of any age accompanied by the following symptoms ; severe and persistent headache, excessive sensitivity to light; sore throat that prevents swallowing; redness of the skin ; neck stiff and painful when bending the head; mental confusion; repetitive vomiting; difficulty breathing or chest pain ; irritability or apathy or drowsiness ; abdominal pain; pain when urinating or frequent small amounts of urination.