Medical Health Encyclopedia

Fever

Some parents fear that fevers will cause seizures. For the great majority of children, this is not the case. However, febrile seizures do occur in some children. Once a child is already known to have a high fever, a febrile seizure is unlikely with the current illness. In any event, simple febrile seizures are over in moments with no lasting consequences.

Although infections are the most common causes of elevated body temperature, fevers have a long list of other causes, including toxins, cancers, and autoimmune diseases.

Heatstroke is a particularly dangerous type of high temperature, because the body is not able to stop the temperature from continuing to rise. It can happen when a child is left in a hot car or when you exercise too strenuously without enough to drink.

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Unexplained fevers that continue for days or weeks are referred to by doctors as fevers of undetermined origin (FUO). Most are eventually found to be caused by a hidden infection.

Common Causes:

• Viral and bacterial infections
• Colds or flu-like illnesses
• Sore throats and strep throat
• Ear infections
• Viral gastroenteritis or bacterial gastroenteritis
• Acute bronchitis
• Infectious mononucleosis
• Urinary tract infections
• Upper respiratory infections (such as tonsillitis, pharyngitis or laryngitis)
• Medications (such as antibiotics, antihistamines, barbiturates, and drugs for high blood pressure)
• Occasionally, more serious problems like pneumonia, appendicitis, tuberculosis, and meningitis
• Fever can occur in infants who are overdressed in hot weather or a hot environment
• Collagen vascular disease, rheumatoid diseases, and autoimmune disorders
• Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
• Lupus erythematosus
• Periarteritis nodosa
• AIDS and HIV infection
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Regional enteritis
• Ulcerative colitis
• Cancer
• Leukemia
• Neuroblastoma
• Hodgkin's disease
• Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma