A regulated increase in body temperature caused by the body’s physiological response to a disease or other trigger.
Fever commonly occurs when the immune system responds to an infection or inflammation and raises the body’s temperature set point. The brain’s hypothalamus coordinates this change, which can produce chills, shivering, and later sweating as the temperature changes.
Fever is a sign, not a disease itself. Its significance depends on factors such as the person’s age, underlying health, temperature, duration, associated symptoms, and cause.
QUICK FACT
Fever and overheating are not the same. Fever involves a regulated change in the body’s temperature set point, whereas overheating can occur when the body gains or produces more heat than it can dissipate.
COMMONLY CONFUSED WITH
Hyperthermia: Fever involves a regulated increase in temperature; hyperthermia occurs when body temperature rises without an appropriate change in the body’s temperature set point.
SEE ALSO
