It would seem that there is nothing complicated in measuring body temperature. If you don’t have a thermometer at hand, you can touch the sick person’s forehead with your lips, but errors often occur here; this method will not allow you to accurately determine the temperature.
Another more precise technique- pulse counting. An increase in temperature of 1 degree leads to an increase in heart rate of 10 beats per minute. Thus, you can approximately calculate how much the temperature has increased, knowing the indicator of your normal pulse. An increase in frequency also indicates fever. breathing movements. Normally, children take approximately 25 breaths per minute, and adults take up to 15 breaths.
Measuring body temperature with a thermometer is carried out not only in armpit, but also orally or rectally (holding the thermometer in oral cavity or in anus). For young children, a thermometer is sometimes placed in inguinal fold. There are a number of rules that should be followed when measuring temperature to avoid getting a false result.
It is generally accepted that the normal body temperature is 36.6 degrees, however, as you can see, this is quite relative. The temperature can reach 37.0 degrees and is considered normal; it usually rises to such levels in the evening or in the hot season, after motor activity. Therefore, if before going to bed you saw the number 37.0 on the thermometer, then there is nothing to worry about yet. When the temperature exceeds this limit, we can already talk about fever. It is also characterized by a feeling of heat or chills, redness skin.
Doctors at our clinic recommend using antipyretics when the body temperature in children reaches 38.5 degrees, and in adults – 39.0 degrees. But even in these cases, you should not take a large dose of an antipyretic; it is enough to reduce the temperature by 1.0 - 1.5 degrees to effective fight with the infection continued without threat to the body.
A dangerous sign of fever is the paleness of the skin, its “marbling”, while the skin remains cold to the touch. This indicates spasm of peripheral vessels. This phenomenon is usually more common in children and is followed by seizures. In such cases, it is necessary to urgently call an ambulance.
With bacterial or viral infections, the temperature almost always rises. How much it increases depends, firstly, on the amount of the pathogen, and secondly, on the state of the person’s body. For example, in older people, even an acute infection may be accompanied by slight increase temperature.
It is curious that at different infectious diseases Body temperature can behave in different ways: rise in the morning and fall in the evening, increase by a certain number of degrees and decrease after a few days. Depending on this, we allocated various types fevers – perverted, relapsing and others. This is very valuable for doctors diagnostic criterion, since the type of fever makes it possible to narrow down the range of suspected diseases. Therefore, during infection, the temperature should be measured in the morning and evening, preferably during the day.
Usually when acute infection there is a sharp temperature jump, and there are general signs intoxication: weakness, dizziness or nausea.
Sluggish chronic infectious processes in the body can also cause fever, especially during an exacerbation. However, a slight increase in temperature is often observed in usual time when there are practically no other obvious symptoms of the disease.
Many, having discovered that they have an elevated temperature, immediately try to reduce it, using antipyretic drugs available to everyone. However, their thoughtless use can cause even more harm than the fever itself, because elevated temperature is not a disease, but just a symptom, so suppressing it without identifying the cause is not always correct.
This is especially true for infectious diseases, when infectious agents must die under conditions of elevated temperature. If you try to lower the temperature, the infectious agents will remain alive and unharmed in the body.
Therefore, do not rush to run for pills, but lower your temperature wisely when the need arises, our specialists will help you with this. If fever has been bothering you for a long time, you should contact one of our doctors: as you can see, it can indicate many non-communicable diseases, so without additional research can't get by.
Fever- an indicator of a person’s thermal state is higher than 37.2 degrees. IN in good condition body temperature should be between 36.5-37.2 degrees. This condition may indicate the development of an infectious, inflammatory process. However, it should be noted that an increase in body temperature may not always be a sign of illness. A doctor can reveal the exact clinical picture; self-medication is unacceptable and can lead to the development of serious pathological processes.
Clinicians note that an increase in body temperature does not always indicate the development of the disease. In fact, such a symptom acts as a protective reaction of the body to any violation. The cause of this symptom may be the following etiological factors:
Also, a sharp increase in temperature is observed at. This condition is especially dangerous in the case of children, since the child’s body is not able to withstand such processes.
It should also be noted that an increase in body temperature is most likely if a person has a weakened immune system.
Distinguish the following types high temperature body:
This human condition requires immediate medical intervention. Delay or taking medications at your own discretion can cause the development of serious complications, no exception death. Only a doctor can tell you what to do at a high temperature after examination and an accurate diagnosis.
It should be distinguished - body temperature up to 39 degrees is considered elevated, and above 39 degrees high.
A high fever without symptoms is extremely rare in an adult. As a rule, this human condition manifests itself in the form of the following symptoms:
A high temperature in a child can manifest itself in the form of the following signs:
In more difficult cases the general clinical picture may be supplemented by convulsions, hallucinations and delusions. Additional signs of the general clinical picture will depend on the causes of the high temperature. In any case, you cannot take medications at your own discretion in this case. This can lead not only to worsening of the condition, but also to blurred clinical picture, which significantly complicates further diagnosis.
It should be noted that, just like in adults, a high temperature without symptoms is extremely rare in a child. This is due to the fact that the immune system child's body much weaker than in an adult and any disturbance in the functioning of the body manifests itself quite quickly.
Why the body temperature rises, only a doctor can say after examination and an accurate diagnosis.
Initially, a detailed physical examination of the patient is performed, including a general history if the patient's condition allows. For clarification etiological factors and accurate diagnosis, the following laboratory tests are used: instrumental methods research:
Depending on the expected diagnosis, the following instrumental diagnostic methods can be used:
Only after establishing the etiology of the development of such pathological process and accurate diagnosis, the doctor can prescribe general treatment and pick up therapeutic methods to eliminate this symptom.
Only a doctor can tell you how to bring down a high temperature in a child or an adult. Elimination of such a symptom will depend on the etiology. General measures for this condition of the patient are as follows:
Antipyretics for high fever in adults and children should be taken only as prescribed by a doctor.
As for the patient’s nutrition during such a period, it should be based on the following recommendations:
Most often, in this state, a person has almost complete loss of appetite. You should not overpower the body and take food in the usual quantity, as this can lead to disruption of the gastrointestinal tract and a general deterioration in well-being.
The following are strictly prohibited at high temperatures:
Erroneously, such actions are taken to stabilize body temperature, which only aggravates the development of the pathological process.
As such preventive measures There is no resistance to this disruption in the body’s functioning. However, if applied in practice general recommendations to strengthen immune system, it is possible, if not excluded, then to significantly reduce the risk of developing such a pathological process.
Such simple rules will help prevent the development of serious complications.
Everyone's body temperature increased, but for common man It’s not clear why our body needs this. Yes, exactly, our body needs this to fight infection. There are a lot of interesting things in our brain, and there is also a thermoregulation center, which is responsible for maintaining a constant body temperature by our body. It just so happens that we are warm-blooded mammals and it takes us almost 50% of the calories we consume from food every day to maintain a constant body temperature.
An increase in body temperature is a complex physiological process that is triggered in response to penetration into the body infectious agents. But not just penetration, since thousands of them penetrate every minute and are successfully destroyed by the immune system. The penetration of microbes or viruses must be accompanied by their consolidation, active reproduction and release of exogenous (come from outside) pyrogens, then protective forces the body gives a signal about an increase in body temperature.
The importance of this process is that increased temperature is the creation unfavorable conditions for the reproduction of bacteria and viruses, as well as a powerful stimulant for the release of interferon, increased activity of lymphocytes and phagocytosis, and other protective agents. At elevated temperatures, tumor growth slows down.
But why do many people consider temperature the main enemy during the period of illness and fight so hard against it?
Firstly, the point is a lack of understanding of the mechanism of the disease itself, as well as imaginary relief when the temperature is brought down.
Secondly, the fear of raising body temperature to very high numbers, which in fact already harms our body. But rising only above 39 C° Celsius is dangerous.
Thirdly, for some reason, many have developed the opinion that if there is a temperature, then the person is sick, and if it is brought down, it means that he is no longer sick. I'm not kidding, many people actually think so.
And finally, now what to do if your body temperature rises?
If you have a cold, flu, sore throat, or any other infection, do not rush to lower your body temperature if it does not exceed 38.5 C° Celsius. Do not deprive the body of an important protective reaction. It’s even better to help the body in this matter: cover yourself with a warm blanket to reduce heat transfer. Yes, of course, in case of severe infections (malaria, etc.), when the temperature goes beyond 39 - 40 degrees, it is necessary to bring it down in order to avoid the main complication - cerebral edema, from which people so often die.
Watch a video about elevated body temperature:
In addition to all this, keep in mind that there are several methods for measuring temperature, and there are now many types of thermometers for these purposes. The above figures correspond to the oldest measurement method - this is in the armpit.
“I have a temperature,” we say when the thermometer rises above +37°C... And we say it wrong, because our body always has an indicator of the thermal state. And the mentioned common phrase is pronounced when this indicator exceeds the norm.
By the way, the human body temperature is healthy condition may change during the day - from +35.5°C to +37.4°C. In addition, we get a normal indicator of +36.5°C only when measuring body temperature in the armpit, but if you measure the temperature in the mouth, then on the scale you will see +37°C, and if the measurement is carried out in the ear or rectally, then all +37.5°C. So a temperature of +37.2°C without signs of a cold, and even more so a temperature of +37°C without signs of a cold, as a rule, does not cause much concern.
However, any increase in body temperature, including temperature without signs of a cold, is a protective response of the human body to an infection, which can lead to a particular disease. Therefore, doctors say that an increase in temperature to +38°C indicates that the body has entered into a battle with the infection and has begun to produce protective antibodies, cells of the immune system, phagocytes and interferon.
If a high temperature without signs of a cold lasts long enough, then the person feels unwell: the load on the heart and lungs increases significantly, as energy consumption and the need of tissues for oxygen and nutrition increase. And in this case, only a doctor will help.
Body temperature- an indicator of the thermal state of the human body, which reflects the relationship between the heat production of various organs and tissues and the heat exchange between them and the external environment.
Average body temperature for most people it is between 36.5 and 37.2°C. Temperatures in this range are . Therefore, if you have some temperature deviation of less than or big side from generally accepted indicators, for example 36.6°C, and you feel great, this is the normal temperature of your body. The exception is deviations of more than 1-1.5°C, because this already indicates that some malfunction has occurred in the functioning of the body, during which the temperature can be lowered or increased. Today we will talk specifically about elevated and high body temperature.
Increased body temperature is not a disease, but a symptom. Its increase indicates that the body is fighting some disease, which must be determined by a doctor. In fact, elevated body temperature is defensive reaction body (immune system), which, through various biochemical reactions, eliminates the source of infection, while increasing body temperature. It has been established that at a temperature of 38°C, most viruses and bacteria die, or at least their vital activity is threatened.
In any case, you need to pay attention to your health even at a slightly elevated temperature, so that it does not develop into a more serious stage, because correct diagnosis and timely medical care can prevent more serious problems with health, because high temperature is often the first symptom of many serious illnesses. It is especially important to monitor the temperature of children.
As a rule, especially in children, body temperature rises to its highest point in the evening, and the rise itself is accompanied by chills.
Types of elevated body temperature:
— Low-grade fever body: 37°C - 38°C.
— Febrile fever body: 38°C - 39°C.
Types of high body temperature:
- Pyretic body temperature: 39°C - 41°C.
- Hyperpyretic body temperature: above 41°C.
According to another classification, the following types of body temperature are distinguished:
— Normal – when body temperature is in the range from 35°C to 37°C (depending on the individual characteristics of the body, age, gender, moment of measurement and other factors);
— Hyperthermia – when body temperature rises above 37°C;
— Fever is an increase in body temperature, which, unlike hypothermia, occurs while the body’s thermoregulatory mechanisms are preserved.
Body temperature up to 39°C is elevated, and from 39°C is high.
An increase in body temperature in most cases is accompanied by the following symptoms:
At the same time, if the temperature rises too high, this inhibits the activity of the central nervous system(CNS). Fever leads to dehydration, poor circulation in internal organs(lungs, liver, kidneys), leads to a decrease in blood pressure.
As mentioned above, an increase in body temperature is a consequence of the immune system fighting foreign microorganisms that enter the body through exposure to various negative factors on the body (burns, heat stroke, etc.). As soon as the human body detects the invasion of bacteria and viruses, large organs begin to produce special proteins - pyrogenic proteins. It is these proteins that are the trigger mechanism by which the process of increasing body temperature is started. Thanks to this, natural defense is activated, and to be more precise, antibodies and the interferon protein.
Interferon is a special protein designed to fight harmful microorganisms. The higher the body temperature, the more it is produced. By artificially lowering body temperature, we reduce the production and activity of interferon. In this case, antibodies enter the arena of fighting microorganisms, to which we owe recovery, but much later.
The body fights the disease most effectively at 39°C. But any organism can malfunction, especially if the immune system is not strengthened, and as a result of its fight against infections, the temperature can rise to dangerous levels for humans - from 39° to 41°C and above.
Also, in addition to the immune system fighting infections, elevated or high body temperature and its constant fluctuations can be symptoms of many diseases.
If the temperature does not exceed 37.5°C, you should not try to reduce it with the help of medications, because In this case, the body itself struggles with the reasons for its increase. First of all, you need to see a doctor so that the overall picture of the disease is not “blurred.”
If you did not have the opportunity to see a doctor or you did not attach importance to this, and the temperature does not return to normal for several days, but constantly changes during the day, especially if at this time you constantly feel a general malaise and, increased in sweating at night, then consult a doctor without fail.
Particular attention should be paid to this issue in cases with children, because a small body is more susceptible to dangers that can be hidden behind an elevated temperature!
After diagnosis, the attending physician will prescribe the necessary treatment for you.
— Medical history including complaints
— General inspection patient
— Axillary and rectal
- to determine the causes of temperature rise
— Taking samples of sputum, urine and stool;
— Additional tests: (lungs or adnexal cavities nose), gynecological examination, examination of the gastrointestinal tract (EGD, coloscopy), lumbar puncture etc.
Once again, I would like to note that if you have an elevated body temperature (more than 4 days) or a very high temperature (from 39°C), you must urgently consult a doctor who will help bring down the high temperature and prevent more serious health problems.
If the patient does not want to eat, then the body needs it, take a daily diet.
Before using any medicine against fever or fever, be sure to consult your doctor!
Medicines against high fever (antipyretic drugs) should be used only if the general recommendations for reducing fever, which were described just above, did not help.
