Fever:
Seven Burning Questions
This true-false quiz comes from Consumer Reports on Health, November 2004. It can help correct some common misconceptions about body heat.
When illness includes a fever, many people think they can speed their recovery by lowering their temperature. Research has shown that taming the fever won't shorten the illness--and might actually prolong it.
Fever is more that just a signal that you're sick. It's also one of your body's defenses against infection. To fight invading microbes your immune system releases chemical messengers that tell your brain to ratchet up your temperature. In theory, lowering a fever may undermine that defense and lengthen an illness by a day or two. So while analgesic drugs may still be worth taking to ease any chills or sweating and to relieve the malaise, muscle aches, headaches, and other symptoms of the underlying ailment, it's probably best to forgo them unless the symptoms are making you miserable. This true-false quiz will help you determine whether your ideas about body heat are consistent with the latest scientific information. Of course, when treating children, always check with your pediatrician.
1. Normal temperature is 98.6 degrees F.
Answer: False. That familiar value is merely and overall average based on 19th century research. Normal body temperature varies substantially, depending on numerous factors, such as individual differences, age, time of day, phase of the menstrual cycle, where on the body the temperature is taken and type of thermometer.
2. Touching the skin is a reliable way to tell whether someone has a fever.
Answer: False. In a study involving 200 children, 60 percent of the children whose skin felt hot to their caregiver, had no fever at all. Conversely, 27 percent who felt normal did have a fever. The only reliable way to check for fever--in children and adults--is with a thermometer.
3. All over-the-counter analgesics are equally good choices for lowering fever.
Answer: False. Those drugs--aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen--generally do reduce fever comparably well. But some are safer than others for many people. Most notably, aspirin can in rare cases trigger a potentially lethal illness called Reye's syndrome in preadolescent children who have an infection. Since you may not know your child has an infection, children should avoid aspirin entirely, unless directed by your pediatrician.
Individuals with illnesses/conditions such as hypertension, heart failure, ulcers, kidney disease, liver disease, current heavy drinking, pregnancy, breastfeeding, etc... should check with their primary care physician for guidance as to the best analgesic for them to take.
4. A cold bath won't reduce your temperature and might even raise it.
Answer: False. A cold bath may lower skin temperature, but it rarely reduces significantly the body's all-important core temperature. And cold water can sometimes cause shivering, which not only compounds the discomfort but can push your temperature even higher. If a high fever persists despite fever-fighting drugs, a sponge bath with tepid water may provide some relief. The evaporation modestly cools the body and is less likely than a cold bath to cause shivering.
5. High fevers often cause brain damage.
Answer: False. Prolonged fevers higher than 106 degrees F are indeed linked with an increased risk of brain damage. But such fevers--typically caused by meningitis, encephalitis, or other central nervous system infections are uncommon. (And it's usually the underlying disease, not the fever itself that does the damage.) In the vast majority of cases, fever is harmless and self-limiting. A rapid rise in temperature can cause young children to experience brief but frightening convulsions. Still, it's best to try reducing such high fevers, especially in children, to prevent possible convulsions as well as to reduce the discomfort.
6. A fever signals bacterial infection, so you should take an antibiotic.
Answer: False. Many fever-producing illnesses are caused by viruses, which don't respond to conventional antibiotics. In some feverish patients, prompt antibiotic use is justified by the clinical evidence alone while waiting for results of a culture to confirm a bacterial infection. In less severe cases, it's best to wait for the culture results before starting antibiotics.
7. If you don't feel like resting when you've got a fever, you don't have to.
Answer: False. Fever and the underlying infection can make you feel weak and listless, so you may prefer to stay in bed. But there's rarely a medical reason for bed rest. So if you're feeling reasonably well despite the fever, there's no reason why you can't be up and about--provided you don't exercise heavily, which could weaken your already overburdened immune system. However, try to keep your distance from other people to avoid infecting them.
Health Tip: HANDWASHING, HANDWASHING, HANDWASHING!!!