Fever

Question 0

If your temperature is over 37, you have a fever. True or false.

Answer 0

False. Your temperature needs to be over 38.

Question 1

What is the normal temperature range?

Answer 1

36.5 - 37.5

Question 2

Why does a spinal cord injury above T6 affect the body temperature regulation?

Answer 2

Because the hypothalamus can no longer control the skin blood flow or sweating.

Question 3

Explain body temperature regulation.

Answer 3

• regulated by thermoregulatory centre in the hypothalamus

- generated in tissues, transferred to skin by the blood and released to the environment

Question 4

What maintains the body temperature?

Answer 4

Thermostatic set point.

Question 5

Name two mechanisms of heat loss.

Answer 5

• radiation
• conduction
• convection
• evaporation

Question 6

Fever is also known as ________.

Answer 6

Pyrexia

Question 7

What is rogor?

Answer 7

Shivering episode. It is common in fever.

Question 8

What is fever?

Answer 8

Elevation of body temperature caused by cytokine induced upward displacement of the set point of the hypothalamus. The fever is broken when the factor causing the increase is removed.

Question 9

A hypothalamus fever rarely goes higher than 45 degrees. True or false.

Answer 9

False. It rarely goes higher than 41 degrees. If it is higher than 41 degrees then it is mainly due to superimposed activity.

Question 10

What happens if your temperature is above 41 degrees?

Answer 10

• convulsions
• hyperthermic states
• direct impairment of temperature control centre.

Question 11

What causes neurogenic fever?

Answer 11

• damage to hypothalamus
• intracranial bleeding
• raised intracranial pressure

Question 12

How does small increases in temperature enhance our immune function?

Answer 12

• increased activity and mobility of WBC
• stimulation of interferon production
• activation of T cells

Question 13

Explain two of the four fever patterns.

Answer 13

Intermittent - temperature returns to normal at least once in 24 hours

Remittent - does not return to normal, varies by a few degrees in either direction

Sustained - temperature remains above normal with little variation

Relapsing - one or more episodes of fever, each as long as several days, with one or more days of normal temperature between episodes.

Question 14

Name and explain the four stages of fever.

Answer 14

Prodrome
- mild headache, fatigue, general malaise, aches and pain

Chill
- feeling chilled, generalised shaking, vasoconstriction, pilo-erection, pallor

Flush
- vasodilation, skin warm and flushed

Sweating

Question 15

Name three symptoms of fever in children.

Answer 15

• lethargy
• poor feeding
• hypoventilation
• poor tissue oxygenation
• cyanosis

Question 16

Explain fever in children.

Answer 16

• can be due to a poorly developed temperature control
• lower temperature can indicate serious infection
• any temperature over 38 degrees (under the age of 3yrs this is serious

Question 17

Name three symptoms of fever in the elderly.

Answer 17

• unexplained changes in functional capacity
• worsening of mental state
• weakness and fatigue
• weight loss

Question 18

What are some considerations we should keep in mind with the elderly and fever?

Answer 18

• even slight elevations in temperature may indicate serious infection or disease
• elderly have a lower baseline temperature
• they have a blunted febrile response