It is one of the most common conditions, it can be found as early as the 4th century BC, when the famous Greek doctor Hippocrates considered it “one of the great instruments of healing”. Today, most doctors agree: fever should not be eliminated but only kept under control, since it is a clear signal that the body is trying to react to virus and bacteria’s aggression.
Recent research has shown, thanks to fever, 20 times increase in the most important barrier-cells, that attack viruses and bacteria, reducing the duration of the disease. Fever is considered an alteration in the body’s temperature, which remains above 37.5 ° C for a period of time. It usually occurs with sudden onset, chills, respiratory symptoms – such as sore throat, cough or cold -, general malaise with pain in the muscles and joints, eyes and head, sometimes nausea, vomit and diarrhea, urinary disorders and pain in the kidneys. This could be due to various reasons: viral or bacterial infections, heat strokes, metabolic disorders (e.g. diabetes, thyroid crisis and gout), disorders of the brain’s thermoregulatory centres or trauma. The body temperature can differ after during the digestion of a particularly abundant meal, during ovulation, or after an intense physical exercise. For fevers that drag on for several weeks – even in the case of relatively low temperatures – medical advice should be sought.
