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May 31, 2023 · A fever itself isn’t an illness. Rather, it’s a symptom of a wide range of health conditions. When your body temperature rises a few degrees above normal, it can be a sign that your immune system has been activated, often to fight an infection.
May 7, 2022 · A fever is a temporary rise in body temperature. It's one part of an overall response from the body's immune system. A fever is usually caused by an infection. For most children and adults, a fever may be uncomfortable. But it usually isn't a cause for concern. For infants, however, even a low fever may mean there's a serious infection.
May 22, 2023 · When to worry about fever. If you have a fever over 104°F (40°C), you should call your doctor. Seek medical help right away if you have a fever along with any of these symptoms: seizure; loss of consciousness; confusion; stiff neck; trouble breathing; severe pain anywhere in the body; swelling or inflammation of any part of the body
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Jun 20, 2024 · A fever is when your body temperature is higher than usual, often due to an infection or illness. Doctors generally consider a fever to be an oral temperature of 100 F (37.8 C) or higher.
- When you have an illness or infection, your body temperature may rise above its normal range. This is a fever. It could help your body fight back against its cause.
- Most of us learned that a normal body temperature is 98.6 F. But new research shows that was the norm for people in the 1800s. Today, studies show that people may be slightly cooler, so the norm is anywhere between 97 and 99 F.
- If your temperature is higher than normal but it’s lower than 100.4 F, your doctor may say that you have a low-grade fever. A mild illness, like a cold or an ear infection, may cause one.
- If you have a fever, you may feel hot and sweaty. You also might shiver because you feel chilled. Weakness, aches, or fatigue could happen. You may have symptoms of the illness that caused the fever, like a cough or sore throat.
Nov 15, 2023 · A fever is when you have a brief rise in body temperature that’s higher than your normal body temperature. It’s also called a high temperature, hyperthermia, or pyrexia.
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Key Points. Fever is an elevated body temperature that occurs when the body's thermostat (located in the hypothalamus) resets at a higher temperature, primarily in response to an infection. Elevated body temperature that is not caused by a resetting of the temperature set point is called hyperthermia. Normal body temperature varies by.