Fever Is Your Friend

Fever as friend?

As we head into the heart of flu season, that might be a good way to regard the dreaded fever because when one spikes, it actually is helping the body fight infection.

“Fever is a protective mechanism,” explains Dr. Vincent Pedre, a board-certified internist affiliated with Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. “It is part of how the immune system acts to protect the body from infection.”

Fevers typically occur in reaction to infectious agents, such as bacteria and viruses, trying to invade. The heightened temperature makes the body an inhospitable place for organisms to reproduce. (Fevers also can be caused by heat stroke, as well as drug and alcohol abuse.)

An immunity-boosting messaging system works to trigger the fever. Areas of the body being threatened release proteins called pyrogens that signal the hypothalamus, which serves as a thermostat located in the brain. The hypothalamus then directs the body to create and retain heat, spiking the fever.

Normal temperature range for most people is around 98.6 to 98.8 degrees Fahrenheit, Pedre says, with temperatures tending to be lower in the morning and higher in the afternoon. The flu typically causes a fever of around 101 degrees, although he has seen fevers from flu as high as 103 degrees.

Parents of small children tend to be especially concerned about fevers because of their fear of febrile seizures. These are most common for children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years old, and with a rectal temperature of greater than 102 degrees, Pedre notes. While the exact cause is not clear, some experts believe a rapid rise in body temperature taxes a child’s developing brain. Most febrile seizures don’t last long, nor do they usually cause brain damage, according to Pedre.

For older adults, a chief concern regarding fevers is dehydration.

“Older people have a reduced thirst drive, so they usually are running a little bit dehydrated anyway,” Pedre explains.

With a fever, dehydration can worsen because the body loses more water than it typically does through respiration. What’s more, dehydration can cause temperature to rise even more because the body cannot cool itself, he says.

If you tend to fear a fever, consider this primer for the next time you start to feel the chills.

Treat it. To combat dehydration, drinks lots of liquids including water and vegetable broth. Adults should typically consume 64 ounces of liquids a day. If you are dehydrated and running a fever, try doubling that amount, Pedre advises. A pain reliever can help with body aches.

Stay or go? Getting extra rest will help your body fight whatever infection is striking. If you have a fever from the flu, you are contagious for up to seven days, including from the day before symptoms appeared to 24 to 48 hours after your fever breaks, Pedre says.

Call or no? While calling your doctor when you feel the first feverish chill is not necessary, a fever that lingers for 48 hours or longer could be a sign of a severe bacterial infection, Pedre says. In that case, call.

Fight the flu. At the first signs of the flu or cold, Pedre advises his patients to take Oscillococcinum, a homeopathic remedy that helps reduce severity and duration of symptoms. It is sold over the counter in pharmacies.