Also called: Also called: Pyrexia
A fever is a body temperature that is higher than normal. It is not an illness. It is part of your body's defense against infection. Most bacteria and viruses that cause infections do well at the body's normal temperature (98.6 F). A slight fever can make it harder for them to survive. Fever also activates your body's immune system.
Infections cause most fevers. There can be many other causes, including
- Medicines
- Heat exhaustion
- Cancers
- Autoimmune diseases
Treatment depends on the cause of your fever. Your health care provider may recommend using over-the-counter medicines such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen to lower a very high fever. Adults can also take aspirin, but children with fevers should not take aspirin. It is also important to drink enough liquids to prevent dehydration.
- Fever(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/tools/symptom/503.printerview.html
- Fever(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/fever/DS00077/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
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Fever and Taking Your Child's Temperature(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body/fever.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/general/fever_esp.html
- Fever(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/tools/symptom/503.printerview.html
- Fever (over 100.4 degrees F)(DSHI Systems) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.freemd.com/fever-over-1004-degrees-f/visit-virtual-doctor.htm
- Fever in Infants and Children(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/tools/symptom/504.printerview.html
- Fever: First Aid(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/first-aid-fever/FA00063/METHOD=print
- Home Treatment of Fever(American Academy of Pediatrics) - http://www.medem.com/MedLB/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZXB1JODDC&sub_cat=107
- Familial Mediterranean Fever(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/familial-mediterranean-fever/DS00766/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
- Periodic Fever Syndrome(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/periodic_fever_syndrome/rheumatology_overview.aspx
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Fever, Sweats, and Hot Flashes (PDQ)
(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/supportivecare/fever/patient/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cancer.gov/espanol/pdq/cuidados-medicos-apoyo/fiebre/patient/
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Fever(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Fever%22
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Genetics Home Reference: Familial Mediterranean fever(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=familialmediterraneanfever
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Febrile neutropenia. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18837909&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Paracetamol plus ibuprofen for the treatment of fever in children... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18782838&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Double-blind active-control trials: beware the comparator you keep. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18781878&tool=MedlinePlus
- Fever -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=fever[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+systematic[sb])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
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National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/
- Acetaminophen: Watch Dosage for Children(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/acetaminophen/HO00002/METHOD=print
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Febrile Seizures(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/febrile_seizures/detail_febrile_seizures.htm
Also available in Spanish http://espanol.ninds.nih.gov/trastornos/convulsiones_febriles.htm
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Fever and Taking Your Child's Temperature(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body/fever.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/general/fever_esp.html
- JAMA Patient Page: Fever in Infants(American Medical Association) - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/291/10/1284.pdf
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Kids' Guide to Fever(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/sick/fever.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/kid/en_espanol/comunes/fever_esp.html
- Eldercare at Home: Fever and Infections(AGS Foundation for Health in Aging) - http://www.healthinaging.org/public_education/eldercare/8.xml
- Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infections.html
- Symptoms - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/symptoms.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Fever is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www.niaid.nih.gov/
Fever - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/fever.html