~ High Fever ~

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Cold and flu

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Common infectious diseases

 

 

By Mayo Clinic staff

 

When you or your children aren't feeling well, one of the first things you may do is check for a fever. Although a fever isn't an illness itself, it's usually a sign that something's going on in your body. Yet fevers aren't necessarily bad. In fact, they seem to play a key role in helping your body fight off a number of bacterial and viral infections.

 

A fever occurs when your temperature rises above its normal range. What's normal for you may be a little higher or lower than the average temperature of 98.6 F. That's why it's hard to say just what a fever is. But a "significant" fever is usually defined as an oral or ear temperature of 102 F or a rectal temperature of 103 F. If you're an adult, a fever may be uncomfortable, but it usually isn't dangerous unless it rises above 103 F. For very young children and infants, however, even slightly elevated temperatures may indicate a serious infection. In newborns, a subnormal temperature — rather than a fever — may be a sign of serious illness.

 

Because a fever can occur with many different conditions, other signs and symptoms can often help identify the cause. For example, nausea and vomiting with a fever may mean gastroenteritis. A fever in addition to a cough that produces thick, yellow or green phlegm might be pneumonia.

 

If you don't know why you have a fever, it's best not to try to lower your temperature. This may only mask your symptoms and make it harder to determine the cause. In addition, some experts think that aggressively treating all fevers actually interferes with your body's immune response. That's because the viruses that cause colds and other respiratory infections thrive at cool temperatures. By producing a low-grade fever your body may actually be helping eliminate the virus. What's more, most fevers go away in a relatively short time — usually within a few days.

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Fascinating

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The fever is caused by the body's ability to maintain its body temperature. It can be increased in order to prevent the growth of bacteria whose growth can inhibited by high temperatures. Also, it allows the body to avoid secondary infection while affected by viruses, poisons, pathogens, etc.