There are some diseases that are so common that it has become a part of our lives. Even though we need to be very careful of these diseases, it becomes hard to keep a track on some recurrent health issues. Fever is amongst one of the most common recurring health problem that is faced by almost everyone in their life span. Fever is considered a mild disease that can be caused because of multiple reasons. It is a condition in which our body temperature rises above the normal body temperature which raises health concerns. However fever is also of different types, today we will focus of remittent fever and its symptoms.
How is Remittent Fever Different from Normal Fever?
We talked to Dr. Sumeet Nigam, General Physician in Sahara Hospital, Lucknow. He told us that remittent fever is a condition in which the fever continues to be over normal body temperature for a long time. This is mostly because of some underlying condition that affects the body to which the body reacts in this manner. Fever can be caused because of viral or bacterial infections in the body. In normal fever, temperature above 38 degree Celcius is considered to be fever. This also applies to remittent fever but the period of illness lasts long which affects the body adversely. Remittent fever can result to weakness, fatigue and body ache. Remittent fever is more evident in children or older adults as their immune system is comparatively weaker. Hence physician advises to get yourself checked if your fever lasts for more than 3 days.
Symptoms of Remittent Fever
Normal symptoms of fever-
- Shivering and chills
- Skin flushing
- Weakness or feeling of getting faint
- Dizziness
- Palpitations
- Excessive sweating
In Remittent fever -
- Depression
- Increased pain sensitivity
- Inability to concentrate
- Low appetite
What Causes Remittent Fever?
Well, cause of remittent fever can be same as any other general fever, but in most of the cases it is more because of bacterial infections. Bacterial infections last longer and result in fever as a symptom of some other health condition. If remittent fever becomes evident, then it can affect a variety of body functions and efficiency of functioning.
There are also some conditions that cause remittent fever. It can be because of febrile response of central nervous system. This means that there is an issue with endocrine, neurological, immunological or behavioural mechanisms in the body. The remittent fever can make a person vulnerable to severe diseases and infections in the body. Fever that occurs at this stage is mostly a sign of any of these health problems.
However, in some cases it can just be prolonged illness and viral may take more than necessary time to heal. This happens to children or older people, and people with low immunity.
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Risk Factors that Cause Remittent Fever
There are many illnesses that can raise the body temperature of the person. It is after this stage that the illness starts reacting more on the person. Dr. Sumeet tells about some of the major conditions that cause remittent fever. Here are those conditions-
1. Infections and diseases caused by infections like influenza, common cold, HIV, malaria and gastroenteritis. These infections raise the body temperature and try to weaken the immune response.
2. Some types of drugs, medical and illegal which have antibiotics in them such as amphetamines and cocaine. These two drugs affect the body a lot and can cause severe complications.
3. Injury or trauma of certain kinds can also cause remittent fever. It can be due to heart stroke, heat exhaustion or burns. This can be quite dangerous as it may lead to life-threatening consequences.
4. If there is damage to a certain tissue, then also it can lead to remittent fever in the period where the body heals the tissue. Fever may continue till the time taken for recovery. It can cause haemolysis, surgery and heart attack and many more such issues.
5. Some other conditions may also result to remittent fever or general fever. These conditions basically have fever as their primary symptom. It includes conditions such as inflammation, arthritis, cancers, lupus and inflammatory bowel disease, blood clots and many more.
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How Does Body React to Remittent Fever and High Temperature?
Fever occurs in the body because of several afore mentioned reasons. It can be determined by regulatory set-point which a person has. It is body’s natural response to infections, or any type of attack to raise the body temperature. In case of remittent fever this remains for longer duration because the underlying cause can be some serious disease which takes time to heal.
In the procedure, remittent fever emerges as a health issue that increases stiffness in the body. It is controlled by certain part of the brain called hypothalamus which plays a key role in determining and increasing the body temperature. Hypothalamus is also responsible for bringing down the body temperature to normal when the problem is resolved.
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