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PYREXIA

Men's Health, Women's Health / By

PYREXIA

Pyrexia describes an elevation in the body temperature above the normal range.

  • Also known as fever, pyrexia is one of the ways our immune system respond in defending the body against infection.
  • Normal body temperature varies depending on factors including age, sex, time of the day, and level of activity.
  • For a typical child, a normal body temperature is usually considered to be around 97.4°F (36.4° C) while the normal body temperature of an adult can be from 97° to 99° F
  • Generally, fever occurs when the body temperature rises above 100.4° F (38°C).
  • Fevers of 104°F (40°C) or higher may be extremely dangerous and demand prompt medical care, as they are viable of causing convulsion especially in infants, children and old people.
  • Fever can be categorized based on its duration, severity and the pattern.

DURATION

A fever can be:

  • Acute if it persists less than 7 days. An example of an acute fever is malaria.
  • Sub-acute if it persists up to 2 weeks such as seen in typhoid fever
  • Chronic or persistent, if it persists for more than two weeks such as tuberculosis, HIV

SEVERITY OR HEIGHT OF FEVER

A fever can be:

  • Mild or low grade, from 100.5° – 102.2°F or 38.1- 39°C
  • Moderate, from 102.3° – 104.0°F or 39.1 – 40°C
  • High, from 104.1° – 106.0°F or 40.1° – 41.1°C
  • Hyperpyrexia, greater than 106.0°F or 41.1°C

PATTERN

  • Remittent fever, fever may come and go with fluctuation in temperature at a regular interval such as in infective endocarditis
  • Continuous fever, fever fluctuate in a small variation of about 1 C in 24 hours such as in urinary tract infection
  • Intermittent fever, fever comes down to normal each day such as in malaria. Intermittent fever is referred to as tertian fever when it persists for 48 hours and quotidian fever if it persists for 24 hours.
  • Relapsing fever, fever that reappears after a certain period of time
  • Pel-Ebstein fever, fever that is dominant in people with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Such a patient suffers from high fever for one week and low fever for the next week. However, debate exists as to whether this type of pattern truly exists.

 

 

CAUSES

Fever can be caused by:

  • Bacterial, viral and parasitic infection such as common cold, malaria, meningitis
  • A malignant tumor
  • Certain medications such as antibiotics and drugs used in high blood pressure or seizure treatment
  • Inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or inflammatory bowel infection
  • Alcohol withdrawal
  • Dehydration
  • Overexposure to sunlight
  • Blood clots
  • Food poisoning ‘
  • A side effect of vaccinations such as those used for tetanus
  • Use of illicit drugs such as cocaine
  • Cancer most especially kidney cancer, leukemia, and lymphoma
  • Metabolic disorder

 

SYMPTOMS

Sickness behavior associated with fever may include:

  • Shivering
  • Lack of appetite
  • A headache
  • Sweating
  • Irritability
  • Dehydration
  • Sleepiness
  • Lethargy
  • Inability to concentrate
  • Muscle and joint ache

 

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

Diagnosing fever is easy, the patient temperature is taken with a thermometer, a high reading is indicative of fever.

Diagnostics test such as blood tests, urine test, x-ray and other imaging tests may be ordered depending on symptoms and medical history

In young infants especially those younger than 28 days, fever can indicate a serious illness and the baby may need to be admitted into the hospital for testing and treatment.

TREATMENT

Treatment may depend on the cause of your fever

If a bacterial infection is causing your fever, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics

Antibiotics have no effect against a virus, therefore, antiviral drugs may be used to treat certain viral infections

Over-the-counter fever-reducing medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), or ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) may be recommended by the doctor.

Fluid Intake to avoid dehydration which can worsen the condition