Fever is a syndrome, that is, a set of symptoms and signs that are originated as a response of the body to agents that have an infectious nature, although it can also appear as a reaction due to toxins, injuries, etc. High fever in children occurs in 3 levels, the first is 37.2 ° C in the axillary area, 37.5 ° C in the oral area and 38 ° C in the rectal area. High fever in adults occurs at a temperature greater than 38 degrees throughout the body.
What is fever
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As mentioned previously, fever or hyperthermia is an alteration in the body temperature of people, as a means of reaction before unknown agents with harmful natures for the organism.
The temperature of the human body can change according to different factors, for example, in women, it tends to rise during their menstruation cycle, but, generally, it can also rise according to the physical activities that are carried out, emotions strengths that they have, the diet that they are carrying out, medications that are consumed regularly, the temperature of the environment and the humidity.
Due to the fact that most viruses and bacteria generate infections in the human body and that, in addition, they can survive in temperatures of 37 degrees, fever is considered a fundamental part of the defenses of the human anatomy to act against of these agents, so their presence in the body means that they are fighting for the patient, not against him.
Hyperthermia does not tend to cause brain damage unless it is a fever that exceeds 42 degrees of temperature. This happens when no treatments are used for the infection, but it rarely goes above 40 degrees.
There are cases of febrile seizures, but that only happens in some children. Most of these high temperatures are eradicated, in addition, it does not mean that, due to the seizure, the child or the person suffers from epileptic seizures. Seizures do not cause permanent damage and do not usually recur. There are also some hyperthermias that continue for days or weeks, these are inexplicable and of unknown origin.
Symptoms of fever
Doctors establish that, to realize that you actually have a fever, you must present some symptoms or signs, among them are the following:
Hyperthermia
This is one of the main signs of hyperthermia. This is the increase in body temperature above the normal rate (35 to 37 degrees). This is caused by an infection or inflammation. Although this is a common symptom and in fact the main one, there are times when it does not appear, but it gives rise to other signs that are present in the body.
Respiratory disorders
The respiratory rate tends to increase as long as the temperature, making the person feel tired or fully stirred.
Digestive disorders
The appetite decreases and the stomach secretion is minimal, which causes constipation. All of this increases thirst and the patient tends to drink large amounts of water per day.
Circulatory disorders
As with respiration, the pulse tends to increase in conjunction with temperature, this causes between 10 and 15 beats per minute. If the pulse is strong, you are facing a dynamic fever, if the pulse is weak, then you are facing an adynamic fever. When there is no increase in pulsation in conjunction with the increase in temperature, then there is a dissociated fever.
Blood pressure
Here, blood pressure tends to increase because an acute attack of fever breaks out, however, when the temperature stabilizes, the blood pressure can normalize or remain in a subnormal state.
If the core temperature rises rapidly, then one is facing a peripheral vasoconstriction, that is, the patient feels cold and presents / displays body tremors (chills). Now, if the temperature drops, you are facing peripheral vasodilation, that is, the patient is hot and seeks to be in cool places, there is sweat and muscle flaccidity.
Fever levels
Fever can occur at various levels, hence the state of the body and the seriousness of the matter are made known. In this section, the 3 common levels in fever will be explained: low- grade fever, fever and hyperpyrexia.
Fever
It is a slight fever or fever as it is also known. When a person has a body temperature higher than 37 ° C, but lower than 38 ° C, they are said to have a low-grade fever, that is, they have hyperthermia that could be classified as mild or mild.
In general, low- grade fever appears as the body's response to certain causative agents of some type of disease. It is common for these to be infectious diseases caused by a virus or bacteria, but it can also reflect a deficiency in the immune system.
The truth is that this little fever should not last more than 24 hours, so it is advisable to be vigilant. Children are the most likely to develop low-grade fever, especially in the stage where the first teeth begin to appear, but it also occurs when they have a cold or mild pneumonia. According to specialists, children tend to suffer from low-grade fever because their immune system is not yet fully developed.
Some of the symptoms that occur when having a low-grade fever are: headache, sweating, great thirst, red and hot skin, the extremities (upper and lower) tend to get cold, increased heart rate and glassy eyes.
In these cases, doctors recommend taking antipyretics such as ibuprofen and Paracetamol, in addition to consuming plenty of fluids, taking lukewarm baths, wearing light clothes, and avoiding any physical effort, in addition, it is best to stay in bed until that is well.
It is important to note (especially in cases of low- grade fever in children) that this is a very common condition in childhood, so parents are recommended not to be alarmed, if they are new parents, seek help from their pediatrician and This will tell you what treatment to give the little ones.
Fever
As mentioned throughout this content, it is about the progressive increase in temperature, from 37.2 degrees in the morning to 37.7 degrees in the afternoon. It is produced by the presence of infectious or toxic agents, the symptoms usually vary according to the patient. In children, fevers are usually normal and only last a couple of hours, maximum two days. There are several types, for example: yellow fever, rheumatic fever and typhoid fever.
Hyperpyrexia
It is a situation in which there is an increase in temperature above 41 degrees, this is the maximum temperature that the human body supports, if it continues to rise, then it can have serious brain consequences.
Consequences of fever
In general, high temperature is not usually dangerous because it acts to defend the organism from infectious agents that can survive in the human anatomy, however, there are some cases in which hyperthermia can be dangerous.
For example, it is usually dangerous in people who have lung and heart diseases, this is because the fever increases both the heart rate and the respiratory rate.
It is also possible that people have mental consequences due to poor fever care, and they can develop dementia.
High temperatures can cause dysfunction or a serious problem in the organs of the human anatomy. The increase in temperature can be caused by a serious infection, either malaria, meningitis or septicemia, which destroys the body's organs and the nervous system in parallel.
Treatment for fever
To lower the fever, it is necessary to follow all the recommendations that the doctors send. Precisely for this reason it is advisable to visit the patient's trusted doctor and take the fever medication that he prescribes.
However, they can continue with a fever home treatment to lower the temperature a little and return to a healthy state.
One of the easiest ways to lower a fever is to take a warm bath and stay underwater for a considerable time.
Another effective method is to put cold compresses on your forehead and neck to feel cool and bring your body temperature back to normal. The main recommendations of doctors is that people who have a high temperature do not wrap themselves up too much, that will only cause the temperature to continue rising and go from hyperthermia to low-grade fever or, in the worst case, to hyperpyrexia.
It is not advisable to self-medicate, as said previously, the best thing to do in these cases is to visit the doctor and rule out any possible illness or disorder that is causing the fever.
