When is fever lethal

Myth 1: Temperatures between Fact: These temperatures are actually normal variations and are not fevers. An actual fever is any temperature of Myth 2: Fevers are bad, can cause brain damage or seizures and are dangerous to my child. Fact: Fevers are a protective mechanism and a sign that the body's immune system is turned on. Most fevers are good for sick children and help the body fight infection.

Fevers do not cause brain damage. As for seizures, the vast majority 96 percent of children do not have seizures with a fever. About 4 percent of children can have a seizure with a fever — this is called a febrile seizure. Febrile seizures are scary to watch, but they usually stop within five minutes.

They do not cause brain damage or have long-term side effects. The idea that fever might actually have medical benefits goes way back. In , the Nobel prize for medicine was awarded to the Austrian physician Julius Wagner-Jauregg for his discovery that triggering a high and persistent fever by inoculating people with malaria could treat their syphilis; the malaria was later treated with quinine.

Modern medicine has moved on considerably, and so has the way we think about fever. It is easy to see it as the thing that is making us ill, not a symptom along with other things like a runny nose or sore throat.

Fever can also feel unpleasant, and many of us feel glad when our temperature drops after taking some medication. From all these perspectives, it makes sense to want to bring temperatures down as quickly as possible. That's certainly how the medical profession views things, says Peters. But there are hints we might be missing something. Take the common viral infection chickenpox. In a study of 72 children, those who weren't given drugs known to reduce fever recovered faster. Likewise, a study of 56 people infected with one of the viruses that causes the common cold found that those who took certain fever-reducing drugs remained infectious for longer.

By increasing your body temperature, you may be slowing the ability of a virus to multiply. It also seems that the immune system works more efficiently when the body gets hotter. And T-cells and antibody-producing B-cells also better respond to instructions from the immune system at these temperatures. Recent studies are providing new insights into how this happens. This is unusual in biological systems: even the circadian clock, which generates roughly hour rhythms in our physiology, is insensitive to temperature.

That implies fever may be a deliberate strategy to bolster our immune defences in the face of infection. All of this raises the question of when — and how — fever should be treated.

Peters recently conducted a trial in children who were critically ill with suspected infections. He wanted to explore whether it was feasible to let their temperatures rise as high as The children continued to receive other treatment. The trial showed that there were no adverse outcomes from treating at higher temperatures , but it wasn't designed to test if this resulted in faster recovery. Meanwhile, a recent meta-analysis combined the results of various trials assessing the impact of treating mild fever in hospitalised adults.

It concluded that there was no difference in survival between those who received more active management of their fever and those who received less. So far then, the results suggest there isn't a lot in it, although it is still early days. It might be that we are focusing on the wrong problem, however.

The question isn't whether we should treat fever, but in which patients we should do it, says Edward Walter, an intensive care doctor at Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford, UK, who recently reviewed the medical literature on fever. Rather than seeing it as a single thing, he says that running a high temperature can be a response to various problems.

However, a fever will be accompanied by some of the following symptoms, according to Mayo Clinic: Sweating Shivering Headache Muscle aches Loss of appetite Dehydration General weakness In children look for these additional symptoms and seek immediate medical help if you spot them: Is listless or irritable, vomits repeatedly, has a severe headache or stomachache, or has any other symptoms causing significant discomfort.

Has a fever after being left in a hot car. Seek medical care immediately. Has a fever that lasts longer than three days in children age 2 and older.

Appears listless and has poor eye contact with you. See your GP if you are suffering from: Severe sunburn If an existing fever lasts longer than 3 days. The fever follows an immunisation — this indicates a reaction, and should be treated urgently. The fever is a reaction to drugs. Inflammatory conditions.

After major trauma or surgery — this could indicate a serious post-operative infection. If the fever is accompanied by shivering and chattering of teeth. Remedies for a fever A mild or slightly high fever calls for some simple, common sense home remedies before medical attention is available. Better Health Channel recommends that you: Drink lots of water to hydrate : When the fever is still high, aim to drink plenty of water. Dehydration causes an individual to feel dizzy, have muscle cramps, low blood pressure, and even seizures.

Avoid alcohol, tea or coffee to prevent dehydration. Take them only in the recommended dosage. Wear light clothing: Put on clothing that is light and allows air circulation.

Get rid of heavy blankets that trap excess heat which may make the fever last longer. Get plenty of rest: Enough rest helps your body regain its normal body temperature faster by strengthening the immune system. Avoid showers: This may constrict the blood vessels, trapping body heat. Locations Melbourne Perth.

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