“Humanity has but three great enemies: fever, famine, and war, and of these by far the greatest, by far the most terrible, is fever.” - (William Osler) Fever is encountered or experienced frequently by healthcare professionals and laypersons in day to day life. The disease has been recognized as one of the hallmarks of clinical diseases since ancient times. In medical terms, the normal body temperature is considered around a set point of 37 ± 1°C. The variance between the highest and lowest core temperature in a day is not more than 1° to 1.5°C. ‘Fever’ is a physiologic disorder in which the temperature is raised above one's normal temperature. The disease is also known as ‘pyrexia’ and ‘hyperthermia’. Along with fever patients usually experience symptoms like weakness, muscle weakness, body ache, back pain, and headache.

What usually Causes a Fever? Fever occurs when a part of the brain called the hypothalamus deviates from the normal temperature of the body to a higher level. When this happens, you may feel unusual cold and shivering to generate more body heat. Henceforth, this results in elevated body temperature. The different possible medical condition that can trigger fever are: Infection which includes flu, common cold, and pneumonia

Some immunizations, such as diphtheria or tetanus (in children)

Teething (in infants)

Some inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease

Blood clots

Extreme sunburn

Food poisoning

Some medications, including antibiotics According to the cause of fever, additional symptoms may include: Sweating

Shivering

A headache

Muscle aches

A loss of appetite

Dehydration

General weakness

What are the symptoms of fever? The common signs and symptoms linked with fever are, are linked to what is known as sickness behavior, and may include: Feeling cold when nobody else does

Shivering

Lack of appetite

Dehydration

Depression

Hyperalgesia, or increased sensitivity to pain

Lethargy

Problem in concentrating

Lack of sleep

Sweating In the case of high fever, there are chances of irritability, confusion, and seizures.

