Fever - Things You Should Know About It!

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!