Bhagwati Hospital - Mehrauli

Hello,

I am Dr. Rachna Kucheria, MD Family Medicine and I am going to talk to you about fever today. What is a fever? What should you be looking out for? When is the time to call the doctor? Some of the common fevers during monsoon months are transmitted by the bites of the mosquitoes of various types. One of them being dengue, transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes and then malaria by the anopheles. Dengue fever, usually the person suffering from high fever, many times with the headache, they could be associated with nausea, vomiting, etc. and usually the patients come to see the doctor on the second or the third day, at which time the doctor gets a test which confirms dengue. If a person does have dengue fever, most of the time they can be managed at home with rest, lots and lots of liquid, that is the main treatment of dengue and monitoring of platelets if those are falling. Dengue usually lasts for eight days only and then it goes away on its own. In rare cases, dengue could have complications, something known as Dengue hemorrhagic fever where there could be bleeding from the gums or urine and the patient is a lot sicker or the platelets are coming down. If any of these scenarios apply to someone you know, it is time to get them to the hospital.

The other fever that we see commonly during the rainy months is malaria, which is transmitted by the bite of the anopheles mosquito. Usually, fevers of malaria come in with chills, meaning the patient feels very very cold and shakes. Many times the fever comes every other day, but none of these patterns may apply and confirmation comes from a lab test. If one has malaria, treatment is different from it. You have to take anti-malarial medication, which again is prescribed by the doctor. Malaria too could have many complications, some of which could be quite dangerous. So, all in all, I would like to leave you with this thought that although many fevers could be self-limiting, it may go away on their own. It is important to recognize the features when you should go and see the doctor, and I will repeat again if the fevers are high and the patients are feeling very unwell if the patient is not able to keep anything down by mouth, if there is severe headache, uneasiness, drowsiness, any of these or if its a prolonged fever, then its definitely time to see a doctor. If you would like to make an appointment with me or any other good physician, do access them on Lybrate.

Thank You!

Hello,

I am Dr. Rachna Kucheria, M.D. Family Medicine. Today I am going to talk a little bit about fever. This is the season where many of my patients are suffering from fever. So I thought a little knowledge about what fever is, when is it a problem, when should you come and see a doctor - might be helpful. Fever is the body's way of resetting its thermostat. Normal body temperature ranges from 97 degrees Fahrenheit to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, usually around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. The body's thermostat likes to reset this higher. To do this the blood rushes from the rest of the body to the center of the body and the person feels the sense of shivering cold. Once the higher temperature has been achieved then the shivering goes away.

Why does a body want to have a higher temperature?

This is its own defense mechanism to kill whatever the virus, bacteria or other organisms that have entered the body.

So when should you come and see the doctor?

If the fever is high grade like 101 degrees Fahrenheit then within a day or two, come and visit the doctor. And if the fever is low grade and lasts for 4-5 days then also. If it is associated with the symptoms like headache, nausea or vomiting, inability to keep down anything even liquids, diarrhea, cough, etc., these are also signs that you should come and see your physician. Commonest fever usually at the time of monsoon season is Dengue fever and those related to mosquito bites.

Well, this year we haven't seen as much as dengue as in the years passed but it's still a good idea to know a little bit about this disease, like how to prevent it and how to recognize it? If somebody is having a high fever with a headache may or may not be associated with headache, nausea, vomiting but certainly a high fever and feeling very unwell, it might be a good time to come and see the doctor and get a test done for dengue. This test will confirm if the patient has dengue. Something to note that dengue fever doesn't last for more than 8 days because if you have prolonged fevers then the cause might be something else. For having an appointment with me or any other physician do access them on LYBRATE.

Thank You!