Fever: Disease and Symptoms

What is fever?

Many people are frightened when they hear the name of fever. It is rather normal to be scared because countless people are dying of fever every day. In addition to the recent Covid-19, many other diseases, including dengue and malaria, are responsible. Fever mainly raises the body temperature, with many people suffering from headaches, loss of appetite, and other complications.

Many of us blame fever for our illness because of the discomfort caused by physical complications. But according to experts, fever is not a disease in itself but only a symptom of another disease. According to them, fever is our body’s defensive strategy against viral or bacterial infections. However, it is viral or bacterial infections that cause fever and cancer, tumors, and inflammation. In fact, in some cases, it is almost impossible to determine the cause of the fever, so doctors treat each fever patient individually.

What happens if you have a fever?

Humans are warm-blooded animals. Our normal body temperature is about 37 degrees Celsius. However, in some cases, some differences can be seen here. Our body temperature is controlled by several factors, such as age, gender, and region. Even the temperature difference depends on exactly what time of day you want to measure the body temperature. Again, the body temperature of females is slightly higher than that of males, just as the body temperature of a minor is slightly higher than that of adult females and males. That is why the tendency to get a fever in the evening is relatively high. However, there are many more reasons why body temperature can be high or low.

Why does fever increase body temperature?

Now let’s see why our body temperature rises. But before that, we will look at how our body temperature is regulated. The part of our brain called the hypothalamus does all the work related to controlling our body temperature. It directs the body to increase or decrease the temperature by releasing various hormones. It plays a very effective role in our body, as we sometimes need to increase or decrease the temperature to keep our body temperature in harmony with the surrounding environment.

However, when a virus or bacteria enters our body, the white blood cells involved in our body’s defenses can detect the virus or bacteria, and they secrete a chemical called ‘Pyrazine Cascade.’ A kind of suicidal germ attack occurs, releasing excess chemicals and making it possible to warn the hypothalamus quickly. These chemical signals travel rapidly through the bloodstream to our brain and alert the hypothalamus. After that, the hypothalamus secretes several hormones in response to the entry of viruses or bacteria into the body. The secreted hormones immediately start to increase the body temperature.

Some hormones cause our body’s muscles and blood vessels to constrict, resulting in a small amount of energy loss. Moreover, some hormones start burning fat stored in different parts of the body for extra energy. The extra energy produced in this way helps to raise the body temperature. During this time, we continue to feel cold and shiver in the winter. It is why many people say, “Fever is coming with trembling bones.” Then gradually, the body temperature rises. As a result of this increase in heat, the body’s internal defenses gain considerable momentum. However, the hypothalamus has a special mechanism to prevent the temperature from rising excessively. When the body temperature rises, the hypothalamus secretes several hormones again, causing the blood vessels to swell and flow too close to the skin, causing us to lose heat and return to normal quickly.