Management of Short Fever

Abstract

Fever is perhaps the most common manifestation of ill health. It is an early and non-specific body response to many infectious and non-infectious etiological factors. In healthy individuals, normal body temperature varies from 98 to 990F. Temperature is regulated by thermoregulatory centre in the hypothalamus, which receives information from cold and warm receptors of peripheral nerves and temperature of blood perfusing the area. Heat is produced by metabolic process and muscular activity. Temperature exceeding 41.60C most commonly occur in central nervous system hemorrhage (especially pontine) and occasionally in patients with severe infection, thyrotoxic crisis, heat stroke and Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome produced by drugs like Phenothiazines. Most short fevers are due to self-limiting viral infections