information about Fever:

What is mean by Fever?

A healthy person’s body temperature fluctuates between 97°F (36.1°C) and 100°F (37.8°C), with the average being 98.6°F (37°C). The body maintains stability within this range by balancing the heat produced by the metabolism with the heat lost to the environment. The “thermostat” that controls this process is located in the hypothalamus, a small structure located deep within the brain. The nervous system constantly relays information about the body’s temperature to the thermostat, which in turn activates different physical responses designed to cool or warm the body, depending on the circumstances.

Fever may cause following things: decreasing or increasing the flow of blood from the body’s core, where it is warmed, to the surface, where it is cooled; slowing down or speeding up the rate at which the body turns food into energy (metabolic rate); inducing shivering, which generates heat through muscle contraction; and inducing sweating, which cools the body through evaporation.

Fevers are primarily caused by viral or bacterial infections, such as pneumonia or influenza. Other conditions that can cause a fever include: allergic reactions; autoimmune diseases; trauma, such as breaking a bone;cancer; excessive exposure to the sun; intense exercise; hormonal imbalances; certain drugs; and damage to the hypothalamus. How long a fever lasts and how high it may go depends on its cause, the age of the patient,and his or her overall health. Most fevers caused by infections appear suddenly and then go away as the immune system defeats the infectious agent.An infectious fever may also rise and fall throughout the day, reaching itspeak in the late afternoon or early evening. A low-grade fever that lasts forseveral weeks is associated with autoimmune diseases such as lupus or with some cancers, particularly leukemia and lymphoma.

How to control the fever:

Fever should not necessarily be treated. Fever is an important signal that there’s something wrong in the body, and it can be used to govern medical treatment and gauge its effectiveness. Moreover, not all fevers are of infectious origin.

Even when treatment is not indicated, however, febrile patients are generally advised to keep themselves adequately hydrated, as the dehydration produced by a mild fever can be more dangerous than the fever itself. Water is generally used for this purpose, but there is always a small risk of hyponatremia if the patient drinks too much water. For this reason, some patients drink sports drinks or electrolyte-replacing products designed specifically for this purpose.

Most people take medication against fever because the symptoms cause discomfort. Fever increases heart rate and metabolism, thus potentially putting an additional strain on elderly patients, patients with heart disease, etc. This may even cause delirium. Therefore, potential benefits must be weighed against risks in these patients. In any case, fever must be brought under control in instances when fever escalates to hyperpyrexia and tissue damage is imminent.

Treatment of fever is normally done by lowering the set-point, but facilitating heat loss may also be effective. The former is accomplished with antipyretics such as ibuprofen or paracetamol (US acetominophen). Aspirin can also be given to adults, but can cause Reye’s Syndrome in children. Heat removal is generally by wet cloth or pads, usually applied to the forehead,[15] but also through bathing the body in tepid water. This is particularly important for babies, where drugs should be avoided. However, using water that is too cold can induce vasoconstriction, and reduce effective heat loss.

Heat loss may also be accomplished by heat conduction, convection, radiation, or evaporation (sweating, perspiration), or a combination of these.