Fever

A fever is a body temperature that is higher than normal. A normal temperature can vary from person to person, but it is usually around 98.6 F. A fever is not a disease. It is usually a sign that your body is trying to fight an illness or infection.

Infections cause most fevers. You get a fever because your body is trying to kill the virus or bacteria that caused the infection. Most of those bacteria and viruses do well when your body is at your normal temperature. But if you have a fever, it is harder for them to survive. Fever also activates your body's immune system.

Other causes of fevers include

• Medicines, including some antibiotics, blood pressure medicines, and anti-seizure medicines
• Heat illness
• Cancers
• Autoimmune diseases
• Some childhood immunizations

Treatment depends on the cause of your fever. If the fever is very high, your health care provider may recommend taking an over-the-counter medicine such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Adults can also take aspirin, but children with fevers should not take aspirin. It is also important to drink enough liquids, to prevent dehydration.

Wellness that matters!

WikiMD is a sponsored by W8MD Weight loss, sleep and medical aesthetics.

Articles on Fever

• UpToDate on Fever
• Medline Plus Fever
• Mayo Clinic Fever
• Read Wikipedia article on Fever

Topics related to Fever

See other topics, articles and terms related to Fever on WikiMD.

This article is a stub. YOU can help Wikimd by expanding it!

• WikiMD articles related to Fever

WikiMD Resources for Fever
Articles
Most recent articles Most cited Review articles Articles on Fever in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ
Media Fever
Powerpoint slides Podcasts and MP3's Videos
Evidence Based Medicine
Cochrane Collaboration
Clinical Trials
Ongoing Trials on Fever Trial results on Fever Clinical Trials on Fever at Google
Books and news
Books on Fever Fever in the news
Commentary Fever
Blogs on Fever
Patient Resources / Community
Patient resources Discussion groups Patient Handouts
Other resources
Blogs Commentary FAQ .Gov PDF files
Social Media
W8MD Weight Loss, Sleep & MedSpa
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U |V | W | X | Y | Z