What is meant by Fever : Types of fever, symptoms and causes

Fever is the mechanism of the body to fight infection or foreign organisms like viruses. The body reacts naturally to combat infections.

Fever is not an illness and the term is defined as fever when the body temperature exceeds its natural temperature.

During fever, you should not suppress it all the time as the body is combating the infection. But when the fever exceeds a certain limit, it can become dangerous and medical care should be taken.

Types of Fever

One should first know the normal temperature of the body and it ranges between 36.5 to 37.5° centigrade or 97.7–99.5 ° Fahrenheit depending on the kind of thermometer.

If the temperature exceeds the above degrees, it is known as fever. Temperature above 99 degrees Fahrenheit is known as a low fever. Temperature above 100 or more is considered a high fever.

But if the body temperature is more than 40 degrees Celsius or 104 degrees Fahrenheit, it is a very high fever and could be dangerous.

Symptoms of Fever

The basic symptom of the fever is the body getting hot or warmer than normal. In some cases, the person may experience a lot of shivering and body pains.

Other fever symptoms include allergic reactions like rashes or eruptions in the body. People may also feel fatigued and dizziness when they are suffering from fever.

Causes of Fever

Fever occurs when the body naturally reacts to defend itself from the foreign bodies which may range from viruses to bacteria.

Sometimes, fever may be caused due to stress, environmental changes/seasonal changes or even medical therapies like C-section, Vaccination or other treatments.

Home remedies to treat fever are explained in the next post – Home remedies to treat fever.