FEVER
Fever is when a human’s body temperature goes above the normal range of 36–37° Centigrade (98–100° Fahrenheit). It is a common medical sign. Other terms for a fever include pyrexia and controlled hyperthermia. As the body temperature goes up, the person may feel cold until it levels off and stops rising.
What is considered a real fever?
Fever: Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 F (37 C), in practice a person is usually not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100.4 F (38 C). A fever of this sort demands immediate home treatment and then medical attention.
SYMPTOMS
You have a fever when your temperature rises above its normal range. What’s normal for you may be a little higher or lower than the average normal temperature of 98.6 F (37 C).
Depending on what’s causing your fever, additional fever signs and symptoms may include:
Sweating
Chills and shivering
Headache
Muscle aches
Loss of appetite
Irritability
Dehydration
General weakness
Children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years might experience febrile seizures. About a third of the children who have one febrile seizure will have another one, most commonly within the next 12 months.
INFANTS
An unexplained fever is greater cause for concern in infants and in children than in adults. Call your baby’s doctor if your child is:
Younger than age 3 months and has a rectal temperature of 100.4 F (38 C) or higher.
Between ages 3 and 6 months and has a rectal temperature up to 102 F (38.9 C) and seems unusually irritable, lethargic or uncomfortable or has a temperature higher than 102 F (38.9 C).
Between ages 6 and 24 months and has a rectal temperature higher than 102 F (38.9 C) that lasts longer than one day but shows no other symptoms. If your child also has other signs and symptoms, such as a cold, cough or diarrhea, you might call your child’s doctor sooner based on severity.
ADULTS
Call your doctor if your temperature is 103 F (39.4 C) or higher. Seek immediate medical attention if any of these signs or symptoms accompanies a fever:
Severe headache
Unusual skin rash, especially if the rash rapidly worsens
Unusual sensitivity to bright light
Stiff neck and pain when you bend your head forward
Mental confusion
Persistent vomiting
Difficulty breathing or chest pain
Abdominal pain or pain when urinating
Convulsions or seizures.
There are also many non-infectious causes of fever. Fever is generally not considered dangerous, but hyperthermia can cause dangerous rises in body temperature
WHY DO YOU HALLUCINATE WHEN YOU HAVA A FEVER?
Temperature affects the way your brain works, and fever can produce waking hallucinations and vivid imagery as well as nightmares. Some people find that too much spicy food leads to nightmares, and this may also be because it raises body temperature.
CAN CRYING CAUSE FEVER?
Fever and Crying. Fever on its own shouldn’t cause much crying. Frequent crying in a child with fever is caused by pain until proven otherwise. Hidden causes can be ear infections, kidney infections, sore throats and meningitis.
Common conditions that can cause fevers include:
upper respiratory tract infections (RTIs)
flu.
ear infections.
roseola – a virus that causes a temperature and a rash.
tonsillitis.
kidney or urinary tract infections (UTIs)
common childhood illnesses, such as chickenpox and whooping cough.
DO FEVER SKILL VIRUSES?
Infections cause most fevers. You get a fever because your body is trying to kill the virus or bacteria that caused the infection. Most of those bacteria and viruses do well when your body is at your normal temperature. Fever also activates your body’s immune system.
IS IT OKAY TO TAKE A BATH WITH FEVER?
Sometimes your doctor will recommend you to take a bath in fever, as this will help keep one calm and cool. When you take a bath, the water helps to release the heat from your body. A steep decline in temperature can be seen after a bath during fever.
ARE HOT BATHS GOOD FOR FEVER?
Taking a bath can help bring down your fever, but the really important part is that it can’t be a cold bath. Although that might seem like it would help more than taking a warm bath, getting in cold or ice water will cause shivering which can actually increase your internal temperature.
WHEN SHOULD YOU GO TO THE ER WITH A FEVER?
If your child is between the ages of 90 days and 36 months old, you should visit an emergency room near you if the fever temperature is above 102.2 degrees F, or if the child’s fever is accompanied by any of the following symptoms: Rash. Unable to keep fluids down.
TREATING A FEVER
If your child has a fever, it’s important to keep them hydrated by giving them plenty of cool water to drink.
Babies should be given plenty of liquids, such as breast milk or formula. Even if your child isn’t thirsty, try to get them to drink little and often to keep their fluid levels up.
If the environment is warm, you could help to your child to stay at a comfortable temperature by covering them with a lightweight sheet or opening a window.
