THE PANICKED CALL woke Dr. Suzanne Corrigan at 2 a. m. A woman cried, "My child has a high fever. What should I do?"
The Irving, Texas, pediatrician quickly asked: How old is the youngster? How high is the fever?" It turned out that the fever measured 101 degrees rectally the equivalent of 100 degrees orally," says Corrigan. "And the baby, a 15-month-old, had fallen back to a peaceful sleep. '
The mother had worried that the fever might go up quickly if she didn't wake the child to give medication. Corrigan reassured her that the fever was mild and simply the body's natural response to fighting off an invader, most likely a virus. The doctor advised her to let the baby sleep, unless other symptoms appeared.
"Like many people, this mother mistakenly assume that having a fever means you're seriously ill," says Corrigan, of the American Academy of Pediatrics. "I tell patients that fever itself isn't an illness. It's how the body revs up the immune system to defend against infection."
An unreasonable fear of elevated temperature, a common reaction, is called "fever phobia" by Dr. Barton D. Schmitt, professor of pediatrics at The Children's Hospital in Denver. Few people, says Schmitt, realize that fever itself is rarely dangerous, and by treating it aggressively with aspirin or acetaminophen, they may actually slow recovery.
Here are six surprising facts about fever you should know to protect yourself and your family.
1. The concept of 98.6 as the body's "normal" temperature is out of date.
Says Dr. Philip A. Mackowiak of the University of Maryland School of Medicine: "The normal temperature is actually a range rather than one single number. And there's a great deal of individual variation."
The body's natural circadian rhythms prompt daily temperature fluctuations of about one degree Fahrenheit, but some people have oscillations as wide as 2. 4 degrees or as narrow as 0.1 degree. Children tend to have slightly higher normal temperature than adults and are more likely to run high fevers in response to infection. Elderly people tend to have lower body temperatures than younger adults.
Ordinary actions can raise temperature: digesting a big meal, being in the sun, prolonged crying in babies, exercise. But body temperature rarely rises higher than about 106. 5 degrees with two main exceptions: a trauma or tumor that damages the hypothalamus (the part of the brain controlling temperature), and, more commonly, heat stroke, which must be treated immediately to prevent damage to body organs, or death.
2. Taking medication to lower a fever may prolong illness.
Here's how fever works: When white blood cells recognize an intruder, they release proteins that travel to the hypothalamus and prompt it to raise the body's thermostat. The body reacts to this by generating heat, often through shivering. "Many immunological functions appear to be more efficient at a higher temperature," says pediatrician Timothy Doran of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "And some bacteria and viruses don't grow as well at higher temperatures.
Recent studies show that when animals are exposed to bacteria but prevented from running a fever, many die of infections they might have survived. Doran researched children with chickenpox, and found that "it took those who were given acetaminophen about half a day longer to recover" than it did those whose fevers were untreated.
While most people are probably better off not suppressing fevers that cause no discomfort, there are exceptions. Coronary patients and those with such chronic conditions as arthritis and diabetes should contact a physician immediately.
To balance the risks and benefits of treating fever, a lot depends on the patient's comfort. "Data show that fever does good, but it also
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