Sudden onset fever: High Temperature Causes and Treatments
High Temperature Causes and Treatments
Written by Rick Ansorge
- What Is a Fever?
- Fever Symptoms
- Fever Causes
- Fever Diagnosis
- Fever Treatments
A fever is a body temperature that’s higher than is considered normal. It’s also called a high temperature, hyperthermia, or pyrexia, and it’s usually a sign that your body is working to keep you healthy from an infection. Normal body temperatures are different for everyone, but they lie within the range of 97 to 99. A temperature of 100.4 or higher is considered a fever.
A part of your brain called the hypothalamus controls your body temperature. In response to an infection, illness, or some other cause, the hypothalamus may reset the body to a higher temperature. So when a fever comes on, it’s a sign that something is going on in your body.
Fevers themselves generally aren’t dangerous, but you should check in with your doctor if:
- An adult’s temperature is 103 or higher
- A very young infant (under 3 months) has a rectal temperature 100.
4 or higher (call your doctor or go to an emergency room immediately) - A 3-6-month-old has a higher than normal rectal temperature and is also irritable or sleepy (call your doctor right away)
- A 3-6-month-old has a 102 or higher rectal temperature
- A 6-24-month-old has a fever higher than 102 for more than a day or with other symptoms such as a cough or diarrhea
- A child older than 2 has a fever that comes with rash, real discomfort, irritability, listlessness, headache, stiff neck, or repeated diarrhea or vomiting
- An infant or child has a seizure
- Any temperature over 104 in a child, which could cause a seizure
- Any fever that starts after someone has been in hot temperatures, which could be a sign of heat stroke
- The fever doesn’t go down after taking over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen in the appropriate doses
- You’ve been in contact with someone who has COVID-19
4 or higher (call your doctor or go to an emergency room immediately)Fevers are signs of some sort of illness or infection.
When you have, you may also notice these symptoms:
- Chills or shivering
- Sweating
- Headache
- Feeling weak
- Being irritable
- Losing your appetite
- Being dehydrated
A fever can be a sign of several health conditions, which may or may not need medical treatment.
The most common causes of fever are infections such as colds and stomach bugs (gastroenteritis). Other causes include:
- Infections of the ear, lung, skin, throat, bladder, or kidney
- Heat exhaustion
- COVID-19
- Sunburn
- Conditions that cause inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis
- Side effects of medications
- Vaccines and immunizations
- Blood clots
- Autoimmune conditions such as lupus and inflammatory bowel disease (IBS)
- Cancer
- Hormone disorders such as hyperthyroidism
- Illegal drugs such as amphetamines and cocaine
- Teething in babies can cause a mild, low-grade fever (not over 101 degrees)
Although a fever is easy to measure with a thermometer, finding its cause can be hard.
Besides a physical exam, your doctor will ask about symptoms and conditions, medications, and if you’ve recently traveled to areas with infections or have other infection risks. A malaria infection, for example, may cause a fever that typically comes back. Some areas of the U.S. are hot spots for infections such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Your doctor may ask if you have been around someone with COVID-19 or have any other symptoms of COVID-19.
Sometimes, you may have a “fever of unknown origin.” In such cases, the cause could be an unusual or not obvious condition such as a chronic infection, a connective tissue disorder, cancer, or another problem.
Fever is usually associated with physical discomfort, and most people feel better when a fever is treated. But depending on your age, physical condition, and the underlying cause of your fever, you may or may not require medical treatment for the fever alone. Many experts believe that fever is a natural bodily defense against infection.
There are also many non-infectious causes of fever.
Treatments vary depending on the cause of the fever. For example, antibiotics would be used for a bacterial infection such as strep throat.
The most common treatments for fever include over-the-counter drugs such as acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen. Children and teens should not take aspirin because it’s linked to a condition called Reye’s syndrome.
Stay comfortable by:
- Drinking a lot of clear liquids such as water, broth, and juices or a rehydration drink.
- Taking a lukewarm bath.
- Resting.
- Keeping yourself cool with lightweight clothing and bed coverings.
Top Picks
High Temperature Causes and Treatments
Written by Rick Ansorge
- What Is a Fever?
- Fever Symptoms
- Fever Causes
- Fever Diagnosis
- Fever Treatments
A fever is a body temperature that’s higher than is considered normal.
It’s also called a high temperature, hyperthermia, or pyrexia, and it’s usually a sign that your body is working to keep you healthy from an infection. Normal body temperatures are different for everyone, but they lie within the range of 97 to 99. A temperature of 100.4 or higher is considered a fever.
A part of your brain called the hypothalamus controls your body temperature. In response to an infection, illness, or some other cause, the hypothalamus may reset the body to a higher temperature. So when a fever comes on, it’s a sign that something is going on in your body.
Fevers themselves generally aren’t dangerous, but you should check in with your doctor if:
- An adult’s temperature is 103 or higher
- A very young infant (under 3 months) has a rectal temperature 100.4 or higher (call your doctor or go to an emergency room immediately)
- A 3-6-month-old has a higher than normal rectal temperature and is also irritable or sleepy (call your doctor right away)
- A 3-6-month-old has a 102 or higher rectal temperature
- A 6-24-month-old has a fever higher than 102 for more than a day or with other symptoms such as a cough or diarrhea
- A child older than 2 has a fever that comes with rash, real discomfort, irritability, listlessness, headache, stiff neck, or repeated diarrhea or vomiting
- An infant or child has a seizure
- Any temperature over 104 in a child, which could cause a seizure
- Any fever that starts after someone has been in hot temperatures, which could be a sign of heat stroke
- The fever doesn’t go down after taking over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen in the appropriate doses
- You’ve been in contact with someone who has COVID-19
Fevers are signs of some sort of illness or infection.
When you have, you may also notice these symptoms:
- Chills or shivering
- Sweating
- Headache
- Feeling weak
- Being irritable
- Losing your appetite
- Being dehydrated
A fever can be a sign of several health conditions, which may or may not need medical treatment.
The most common causes of fever are infections such as colds and stomach bugs (gastroenteritis). Other causes include:
- Infections of the ear, lung, skin, throat, bladder, or kidney
- Heat exhaustion
- COVID-19
- Sunburn
- Conditions that cause inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis
- Side effects of medications
- Vaccines and immunizations
- Blood clots
- Autoimmune conditions such as lupus and inflammatory bowel disease (IBS)
- Cancer
- Hormone disorders such as hyperthyroidism
- Illegal drugs such as amphetamines and cocaine
- Teething in babies can cause a mild, low-grade fever (not over 101 degrees)
Although a fever is easy to measure with a thermometer, finding its cause can be hard.
Besides a physical exam, your doctor will ask about symptoms and conditions, medications, and if you’ve recently traveled to areas with infections or have other infection risks. A malaria infection, for example, may cause a fever that typically comes back. Some areas of the U.S. are hot spots for infections such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Your doctor may ask if you have been around someone with COVID-19 or have any other symptoms of COVID-19.
Sometimes, you may have a “fever of unknown origin.” In such cases, the cause could be an unusual or not obvious condition such as a chronic infection, a connective tissue disorder, cancer, or another problem.
Fever is usually associated with physical discomfort, and most people feel better when a fever is treated. But depending on your age, physical condition, and the underlying cause of your fever, you may or may not require medical treatment for the fever alone. Many experts believe that fever is a natural bodily defense against infection.
There are also many non-infectious causes of fever.
Treatments vary depending on the cause of the fever. For example, antibiotics would be used for a bacterial infection such as strep throat.
The most common treatments for fever include over-the-counter drugs such as acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen. Children and teens should not take aspirin because it’s linked to a condition called Reye’s syndrome.
Stay comfortable by:
- Drinking a lot of clear liquids such as water, broth, and juices or a rehydration drink.
- Taking a lukewarm bath.
- Resting.
- Keeping yourself cool with lightweight clothing and bed coverings.
Top Picks
Roseola or three-day fever
Alexey Shaposhnikov
Dermatologist
to the pediatrician, but also to the dermatologist.
Roseola infantum has many names: sudden exanthema, three-day fever, pseudorubella . In many cases, it is not diagnosed as a separate disease, when the temperature rises, a diagnosis of ARVI is made, the rash is attributed to an allergy to medications taken during the illness.
What is baby roseola?
Roseola in childhood is a viral disease characterized by a sudden rise in temperature, and then, after its decrease, the appearance of a small pink rash that spreads throughout the body. In the first three days, before the appearance of rashes, it is difficult to make a diagnosis, since there are no characteristic symptoms other than temperature. It is the appearance of the rash that helps determine that it is roseola.
This infection is transmitted presumably by airborne droplets, incubation period 9-12 days. Laboratory confirmation of the diagnosis is not required, and, as a rule, no tests are performed.
Usually sick children from 6 months to 3 years, mainly in the spring-autumn period.
What pathogen causes this disease?
Most often, roseola is caused by the human herpes virus 6, rarely 7. Herpes virus 6 (HHV-6) is very widespread; at birth, babies have antibodies from their mother that protect it. Their levels are significantly reduced by 4 months, and the child becomes susceptible to infection. After 2 years, the immune system can already quite successfully cope with the virus, preventing the development of an acute illness. But in the interval, the body of children is most vulnerable, the peak incidence occurs at 6-12 months.
There is no specific prevention of roseola, among the general measures that reduce the risk of the disease, one can note regular ventilation of the premises where the child is located, limiting close bodily contact with adults (do not kiss a small child on the lips, nose, lick spoons and nipples, etc. Further).
After the illness, persistent immunity is developed , cases of re-infection are quite rare, but sometimes they occur. After 4 years, almost all examined children have antibodies to this virus.
Characteristic signs of the disease?
- Temperature rise to 38°C-40°C without respiratory symptoms (runny nose, cough, sore throat) and rash. An increase in temperature is the body’s reaction to the presence of a virus in the blood. On average, the temperature lasts 3 days.
- Eruption of small pale pink spots mainly on the neck and trunk, in smaller amounts on the face and extremities, 1-2 days after the fever has ceased. Often around the elements of the rash you can see a pale rim.
- The rash does not itch and resolves on its own within a few days or weeks.
How is roseola different from rubella?
With rubella, the rash appears simultaneously with the temperature, is located mainly on the limbs, slightly different in appearance.
Also, rubella is not characterized by such a sharp and high rise in temperature.
Are there complications?
In the vast majority of cases, the body copes on its own and without consequences. High fever with sudden exanthema can cause febrile convulsions . As a rule, they are not dangerous, pass without consequences for the child and are not associated with damage to the nervous system or brain. But, if this happened for the first time, the child should be examined by a neurologist.
Sometimes there are concomitant symptoms in the form of inflammation in the nasopharynx and swollen lymph nodes. Very rarely, with an appropriate predisposition, neurological complications of the disease are possible: encephalitis, meningitis.
How to treat roseola?
The child should be examined by a pediatrician, as a high temperature can be not only with roseola, but also with other infectious diseases that require treatment, such as otitis media, urinary tract infections.
There is no specific treatment for the virus that causes roseola, so the treatment is symptomatic: antipyretics at high fever to relieve the child’s condition. While the temperature is holding, it is important to ensure that the child consumes enough fluids. If the child refuses to eat, you do not need to force feed, as soon as the condition improves, the appetite will return.
When a rash appears, it is not necessary to lubricate it with something or take antiallergic drugs. The spots disappear on their own, leaving no traces, a slight peeling of the skin is possible, which also disappears without treatment. The child during this period can be bathed. After bathing, there may be an increase in the brightness of the rash due to the flow of blood to the skin, this is a temporary phenomenon that does not worsen the course of the disease.
Antiviral treatment is given for severe disease, usually in immunocompromised children. When treating patients with immunodeficiency, consultation of a pediatric infectious disease specialist is necessary.
Chikungunya
Chikungunya
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- Chikungunya
WHO
Mosquito treatment in the Dominican Republic
©
Photo
Key Facts
- Chikungunya is a disease transmitted to humans by mosquitoes in Africa, Asia and the Americas; sporadic outbreaks of the disease have also been reported in other regions.
- Because chikungunya has clinical manifestations similar to those of dengue and zika, this may well make the diagnosis of chikungunya difficult.
- Chikungunya causes fever and severe joint pain, which is often debilitating and varies in duration; other symptoms include joint swelling, muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue, and rash.
- There is currently no approved vaccine or specific therapy for infectious diseases caused by chikungunya virus.
- Due to problems with registration and diagnosis, the number of persons affected by chikungunya is an underestimate.
- Cases of severe chikungunya symptoms and death are rare and usually associated with other pre-existing health problems.
Overview
Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease caused by the chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an RNA virus of the alphavirus genus in the togavirus family. The name chikungunya comes from the Kimakonde verb meaning “to become
twisted.
”
Spread and outbreaks
The CHIKV virus was first detected in 1952 in the United Republic of Tanzania and later in other countries in Africa and Asia (1) . Outbreaks in urban areas were first reported in Thailand in 1967 and in India in the 1970s. (2) .
Since 2004, outbreaks of CHIKV have become more frequent and widespread, in part due to viral adaptations that make the virus more easily spread by the Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. To date, CHIKV has been identified in more than 110 countries in Asia,
Africa, Europe and America. Transmission of the virus was interrupted on the islands, where a significant part of the population was infected and then became immune; however, transmission often continues in countries where large parts of the population are still
not infected.
All regions with established mosquito populations Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus are currently experiencing local mosquito transmission.
Transmission
Chikungunya virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, most commonly Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti and Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus which can also carry den viruses ge and zika. These mosquitoes bite mainly during daylight hours.
days. They lay their eggs in stagnant water. Both species feed outdoors, while mosquitoes Ae. aegypti also feed indoors.
When a naïve (uninfected) mosquito ingests the blood of a person infected with CHIKV, viral particles can be transmitted to the mosquito. Then the virus replicates in the mosquito for some time, penetrating into its salivary glands, after which it
may be transferred to a new naive host at the next bite. In the body of a newly infected person, the virus replicates and reaches high concentrations, after which it can be transmitted to other mosquitoes, with the subsequent continuation of the transmission cycle.
Symptoms
In symptomatic patients, chikugunya usually develops 4–8 days (range 2–12 days) after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
It is characterized by sudden fever, often accompanied by severe joint pain. joint pain often
it can be very exhausting; it usually goes away in a few days, but it can last for weeks, months, or even years. Other common signs and symptoms of the disease include joint swelling, muscle pain, headache, nausea, and fatigue.
and rash. Because the disease can mimic other arboviruses, including dengue and zika, in symptoms, it can be misdiagnosed. In the absence of significant joint pain, symptoms in infected people are usually
mild in nature and the infection may go unrecognized.
In most cases, patients who have had an infection recover completely; however, isolated cases of ophthalmic, cardiovascular, and neurological complications have been reported in CHIKV. Patients in the older age group are at risk
risk of severe disease. Newborns infected during childbirth and elderly people with comorbidities can become seriously ill, and CHIKV infection can increase the risk of death.
After recovery, the patient is likely to remain immune to protect against further infections.
Diagnosis
Chikungunya virus can be detected directly in blood samples collected during the first week of illness, particularly by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
Other tests can detect a person’s immune response to chikungunya virus infection. They are usually used after the first week of infection to test for antibodies to the virus. Antibody levels are usually detectable by the first week after illness onset
and can be detected further within about 2 months.
Medicines and vaccines
Patient care aims, among other things, at reducing fever and joint pain with antipyretics, optimal pain medications, drinking plenty of fluids and resting. Any special antiviral drugs for the treatment
no chikungunya.
Paracetamol or acetaminophen is recommended for pain relief and fever until dengue infections have been ruled out, as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may increase the risk of bleeding.
Although there are currently several vaccines in various stages of development (as of December 2022), they are not yet licensed.
There are currently no vaccines available on the market to protect against infection with chikungunya virus.
Prevention and control
The best way to prevent infection is to protect yourself from mosquito bites. Patients with suspected CHIKV infection should avoid mosquito bites during the first week of illness to prevent further transmission of the infection to mosquitoes that, in
in turn can infect other people.
The main method to reduce the transmission of CHIKV is mosquito vector control. This requires the mobilization of local communities, which play a critical role in reducing mosquito breeding sites through weekly emptying and cleaning.
water tanks, waste management and support for local mosquito control programs.
During outbreaks, insecticides can be used that can be sprayed into the air to kill flying mosquitoes, applied to the inside and outside of containers where mosquitoes land, and used to treat water in containers
to kill immature larvae.
These measures may also be used by public health authorities as an emergency measure to limit the mosquito population.
For protection during chikungunya outbreaks, it is recommended to wear clothing that provides maximum skin protection against mosquito bites during the day. Protective nets should be installed on window and door openings to prevent mosquitoes from entering houses.
Exposed areas of the skin or clothing can be sprayed with repellents in strict accordance with the instructions contained in the annotations. Repellents must contain DEET, IR3535, or icaridin.
Because chikungunya mosquitoes are most active during the daytime, daytime sleepers, especially young children, the sick and the elderly, can be effectively protected with treated
mosquito nets insecticide.
Travelers to areas of active CHIKV transmission should take basic precautions, including the use of insect repellent, long-sleeved clothing and trousers, and ensure that rooms are equipped with window
nets to prevent the entry of mosquitoes.
WHO response
WHO supports countries in arbovirus surveillance and control through the Global Arbovirus Initiative.
The following measures are being taken by WHO to control chikungunya:
- assistance to countries in confirming outbreaks through a network of collaborating laboratories;
- provide technical and policy support to countries on effective control of outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases;
- monitoring the development of new disease control agents, including insecticides and their application technologies;
- development of evidence-based strategies, policies and plans to deal with outbreaks;
- provide technical and methodological support to countries on effective case management and outbreak response;
- assisting countries to modernize their reporting systems;
- organizing regional training events with a number of collaborating centers on clinical management, diagnosis and vector control;
- Publication of guidelines and handbooks for Member States on surveillance, laboratory support, clinical case management and vector control; and
- Promoting comprehensive multidisciplinary approaches to the treatment of arbovirus diseases through the implementation of the Global Arbovirus Initiative.
