FEVER

Fever is a routine symptom in infants and children. It is a normal immune response to an infection to generate an elevated body temperature and make the body inhospitable. That doesn't mean that the fever should be ignored, but if the child is otherwise doing well, treating the fever with over-the-counter (OTC) medicines such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen may be all that is needed.

Fever in an adult is a different situation, because the patient is old enough to identify associated complaints and symptoms, and can provide a past medical history. Fever is a systemic response to inflammation. Patients with compromised immune systems and a fever are a completely different scenario. Those with immune system conditions or disease do not function as well as those who are not immunocompromised, and their body may not be able to fight off infection adequately. For example

• people receiving chemotherapy for cancer,
• those who take drugs to treat chronic inflammation such as rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus,
• individuals with HIV/AIDS may be so immunocompromised that their body may not be able to respond appropriately to an infection, and
• older people may be very ill, but do not have a high fever (lower than 100 F [37 C]).