Many people get affected by fever during the season change. From children to the elderly, anyone can feel that way. In some cases, people visit the doctors and convey that they feel feverish, but the thermometer does not show a high body temperature. In these cases, there is a general feeling of fever, body aches, and discomfort. This condition is normally identified as low-grade fever.
What is low-grade fever?
For a healthy person, the normal body temperature is 98.6° Fahrenheit or 37° Celsius. So, if anyone has a slightly high body temperature, that is considered a low-grade fever. So, what is the idle range for low-grade fever?
According to Healthline, the range for low-grade fever is between 98.7°F and 100.4°F (37.5°C and 38.3°C). This fever may last for more than 24 hours, while chronic fever usually lasts for more than 10 to 14 days.
Normally, fever can be many types, but in most cases, low grade, and mild grade fevers are not a serious matter and may go away within a few days. In most cases, it can happen due to cold or flu. However, there are some other causes of a persistent low-grade fever.
What causes a low-grade fever?
Many times, people feel feverish due to the impact of warm weather, wearing heavy clothes, dehydration, or walking in the sun for a long time. It is normal for children to get such fever when new teeth erupt.
But in some cases, low-grade fever can also be a symptom of serious diseases like tuberculosis, thyroid problems, various stomach complications, diabetes, cancer, and more. This type of fever can sometimes be caused by inflammation of the joints or muscles, urination, or ear-throat-tooth infection. So, the person needs to look for other symptoms to find the cause of such a fever.
The most common cause of low-grade fever is the difference in weather and humidity, and the body may get hot. Further, hormonal imbalance in older women can also raise body temperature.
A new medication can also create low-grade fever, which is sometimes called drug fever. Some drugs associated with low-grade fever are quinidine, phenytoin, beta-lactam antibiotics, such as cephalosporins and penicillins, carbamazepine, methyldopa, procainamide, and carbamazepine.
Symptoms
Mild fever can have many symptoms, such as loss of appetite, chronic cold cough, shortness of breath, ear and throat pain, nausea and abdominal pain, weight loss, joint and muscle pain, abdominal digestion noise, etc.
Fever should first be measured with a thermometer four to five times a day for five to seven days to check if the temperature rises or not. If measuring at a regular interval shows a temperature rise, the person might have a low-grade fever. Further, if the temperature list shows fever during the day or night, caution should be taken.
Low-grade fever can also occur due to seasonal flu or influenza. Seasonal flu or influenza is a sort of acute respiratory infection through influenza virus. The flu can be four types, and of the four types of influenza viruses (A, B, C, D), both influenza A and influenza B viruses can cause seasonal epidemics, perhaps fever.
Usually, Influenza signs include fever, cough (usually dry), headache, muscle and bone pain, sickness, sore throat, and runny nose. However, In most cases, treatment is not needed, and it recovers within a week.
Treatment
In case of low-grade fever, the patient can take paracetamol initially upon doctor’s consultation. Paracetamol helps to reduce body temperature. It is also important to reduce body temperature to fight off any viruses, fungi, or bacteria. It is an over-the-counter drug, and depending on the need, paracetamol can be taken up to three or four times a day. However, taking paracetamol frequently without doctor’s advice may hurt liver and kidney.
Further, non NSAIDs, i.e., non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can be taken to reduce fever. Aspirin or ibuprofen helps lower the temperature too. For any kind of infection in the body, it is necessary to take antibiotics. Of course, according to the doctor’s consultation. But if anyone has a general fever, the person doesn’t need to take antibiotics from the second day. Again, antibiotics alone do not work if anyone has a cold or viral fever. In that case, the doctor monitors the patient’s condition and prescribes other medicines if necessary.
If the fever is related to medication, consultation with the doctor will help, and the doctor may adjust the doses or change the drug if needed.
On the other hand, if the patient does not have any other symptoms with fever, especially nausea, weight loss, etc., getting enough rest will help cure the fever faster.
Drinking enough water and eating plenty of vegetables, fruit juices, lots of fluids, and other healthy foods can treat low-grade fever. Fruits like papaya, orange, banana, and pineapple will boost the treatment. Besides, taking a lot of fluids is also helpful, and it is better if the patient can take fruit juice.
Digestive enzymes also work less in the case of fever. As a result, it takes time for food to be digested. In most cases, the patient feels no taste in the mouth. Hence, eating easily digestible food will be helpful.
If the fever is chronic
If the low-grade fever becomes chronic and has other symptoms, the patient may need to see a doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment. However, it is not recommended to take antibiotics and antipyretics without a doctor’s guidance. In this case, it should be diagnosed through thorough examination and appropriate treatment by the doctor.
How to prevent it?
Since low-grade fever is a symptom, there is no way to prevent it by being aware of it in advance. However, hygiene should be followed, reducing the attack of bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Further, anyone should drink water regularly as dehydration may lead to fever.
The fever has many variations. Sometimes a fever can be caused by very common reasons, sometimes by a complex illness. So, it is necessary to pay attention to the fever from the beginning.
Source: United News of Bangladesh