Fever is not a disease, but a symptom
Is there anyone who has never got a fever? I doubt if we can find even a single person. Do you know that fever is not a disease, but its symptom? It gives us a message that our body is not working properly now.
At every moment our body is producing heat and dispersing it too. As long as both these values are same, our body temperature is normal. When this equilibrium is distorted a little bit, it shows those symptoms as ‘rise of body temperature’.
It’s the function of hypothalamus to regulate our body temperature. It’s present in the remote side of brain. If any of our body part is infected due to some reason, white blood cells rush to that place and fight with the enemies. In this battle, a few WBC are also lost and pyrogenes, which are responsible for fever, are produced. They mix up with blood and reach hypothalamus breaking its equilibrium of temperature balance. It causes the increase of body temperature and thus resulting in fever. In other words, to kill the germs body is increasing its temperature. But it’s to be noted that fever can be formed without germs’ attack too. Cirrhosis, wounds, bruises, burns and certain types of cancers are a few examples. Main symptoms of fever are tiredness, body pain, increased heart beat and breath, sleepy, loss of appetite and less energetic.
Shivering…..Why so?
It’s a common phenomenon. If someone is suffering from fever, he feels cold and may often shiver. Often, their teeth may collide in shivering. If his body temperature is so high, why is he shivering? When you shiver, your internal organs produce more heat and it’s released from body. Alert messages are sent to different body parts by hypothalamus. Later, to reduce body heat, blood vessels of skin expand and heart beats fast to increase blood circulation. More WBC will be produced resulting in more destruction of those foreign antigens. Antibodies needed to fight against antigens are also produced and very soon, body stops shivering and leaves the external heat through sweat. That’s why, it’s told, if you fully cover your body while you are having fever, allowing it to sweat, more chances are that you will get out of it very soon.
Same temperature, every day everywhere
Normal temperature of a human being is 98.4F or 37 degree Celsius. It never varies according to atmospheric pressure or temperature. Our body itself has a temperature controlling mechanism, to keep its value there. For example, sweating. Even if we go to a desert or a polar region, our body temperature will remain the same. If our body temperature exceeds 99.4 degree Fahrenheit, it’s considered as fever.
Fever of kids
In kids, temperature controlling mechanism won’t start fully functioning. That’s the reason why they are more prompt to fever and associate symptoms. Even a mild attack can rise temperature of kids.
Cold and fever
When virus attacks, we get cold. Sneezing and snubbed nose are its early symptoms. Throat infection, small rise of temperature and cough may also follow them. It may due to some allergy too. For example, dust allergy. An adult can get cold three or four times a year. After the attack of cold, since immunity power of the body is low, it may be easily attacked by bacteria. It may lead to ear pus, sinusitis or pneumonia.
Pneumonia
If respiratory tract is infected by the attack of bacteria, virus or fungi it may swell and get pus too. This condition known as pneumonia, easily attacks kids and weak people. It may be the consequence of normal cold, influenza, fever or cough. Even a small cold can lead to pneumonia if not taken sufficient care. High temperature, cough, shivering, chest pain, fast heart beats, difficulty in breathing etc are some of its symptoms. If sputum contains brown colour, it can be confirmed to be pneumonia and it’s an inflammatory condition of the lungs.
Through nerve beats
You may have examined doctors measuring temperature using thermometer and checking pulse count. If temperature increases by half degree, pulse rate per minute may increase by 10. Yet, in extreme conditions like fits pulse rate may not increase.
Plague through food
It’s a contagious disease that men may get through animals, mainly through fetus and urine of rats and cattle. Laptospira, a bacteria found in the fetus and urine of such animals is causing plague in men. It may enter man’s body through food, wounds or even eyes. If you find sudden increase of temperature, headache, redness of eyes, diarrhea or symptoms of jaundice never hesitate to see a doctor as early as possible. It’s needed to maintain personal hygiene, clean surroundings and hygienic food to avoid plague. Cover your food to avoid contact from animals. If it’s not given enough attention it may affect liver and kidneys even leading to death.
Beware of dengue fever!
Dengue fever is caused by Arbo virus spread by Aedes aegpti mosquito. It starts with normal fever and body pain. But condition becomes severe with the bleeding of internal organs. This mosquito spreads the disease from one person to another. Virus infected mosquitoes with in 7 and 10 days, spread this disease and this fever is followed by bleeding from mouth, nose, gums etc. A dengue patient may have severe head ache, eye pain and severe pain of joints and muscles.
Fever – Note these points please
1. Avoid tight dress.
2. If you are high temperature, use some cotton dipped in warm water and spread on the forehead to cool it. Never use cold water. It may lead to shivering which may further increase fever.
3. Use only boiled water for drinking and use it frequently.
4. Fever is just a symptom. So, try to find the actual reason behind it. If your child plays well even if he has fever, you can assume that condition is not serious.
5. From the first stage itself, if you are having high fever, it may be viral fever, tonsillitis or urinary related diseases.
6. If temperature increases after 3-4 days, it may be due to bacterial attack.
7. Even after your fever reduces with the help of medicines, your tiredness not leaving you it may be bacterial attack. If it’s viral attack, as your body temperature decreases, you feel more energetic.
8. If more than one person in a family is affected, it may be viral fever.
Through this article, I have given a brief description about fever, its symptoms, types and precautions to be taken. Hoping it will be useful to you.
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