Infections are the most common cause of fever. However, various illnesses, conditions, and medicines can raise the body temperature. Get a fever assessment to pinpoint the exact cause and start the appropriate treatment.
Almost everyone has had a fever at some point or the other in their life. Getting a fever every once in a while is not a cause for concern. In fact, many people don’t opt for doctor consultations and wait for the fever to subside on its own, and it often does. But what if it doesn’t? Frequent or persistent fevers may be a symptom of some serious underlying issue. If you suffer from frequent or persistent fevers, it’s advisable to consult your doctor to determine the root cause of the problems and start a suitable treatment. Read on to learn more about what can cause a fever and what you can do to identify its exact cause.
What’s a Fever?
Medically referred to as pyrexia, it describes the rise in internal body temperature above-normal levels of 98.6°F and temperatures over 100.4 °F. According to the experts, a fever is usually an indicator or symptom of another problem, typically an infection and should be checked by a doctor, especially if it persists or occurs frequently.
What Can Cause a Fever?
Here’s a list of the six conditions that may show the symptom of fever.
- Respiratory Infections
Colds or other flu-like illnesses, ear infections, sore throat, sinus infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, mononucleosis, and tuberculosis can show the symptom of fever.
- Urinary Tract Infections
UTIs can occur in different parts of the urinary tract, such as the kidneys, bladder, urethra, and uterus. These are bacterial infections and can lead to high fevers.
- Viral or Bacterial Gastroenteritis
Also known as stomach flu, gastroenteritis is an infection that affects your intestines or stomach; caused by both virus and bacteria, it can result in a persistent fever until the condition is cured.
- Autoimmune or Inflammatory Disorders
Another common cause of fevers is inflammatory or autoimmune disorders, which include arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, periarteritis nodosa, or vasculitis.
- Trauma or Injury
A stroke, heart attack, heatstroke, burns, or heat exhaustion can also cause fever. These causes are often easier to diagnose.
- Tissue Damage
Damage to the tissues from surgery, crush syndrome, heart attack, haemorrhage, and hemolysis (breaking open of RBCs to release haemoglobin) can also result in high body temperatures.
Fever can also be caused by other medical conditions like skin inflammation, hyperthyroidism, some cancers, inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic disorder, blood clots, gout, and embolisms.
Get a Fever Assessment Done
It’s impossible to treat a fever without identifying the reason behind it. This is where a fever assessment comes in handy. It is a set of diagnostic tests that analyse the diverse factors that can result in a fever and determines its exact cause. It enables your doctor to understand the cause of the fever and prescribe a suitable treatment for your condition.
Also referred to as a fever package, a fever assessment comprises a range of tests performed by analysing blood and urine samples. The diagnostic tests included in a fever assessment are the widal test, C-reactive protein (CRP) test, malarial antigen test, dengue fever NS1 antigen, rapid test, complete urine examination, complete blood count (CBC), and dengue IgG/IgM antibodies rapid test.
Many labs provide comprehensive fever assessments. For instance, Apollo 24|7 provides a comprehensive fever assessment consisting of 52 tests to diagnose diseases like dengue, typhoid, and malaria. If you suffer from persistent or frequent fevers, get a fever assessment test at the earliest for speedy relief!
