Having a fever is common among adults and children. In most cases, they are not serious, and may actually indicate health, because it shows that the immune system is working properly. As a whole, they are not considered dangerous.

Causes of Fevers

In most situations, the body will experience a rise in temperature due to a virus or bacteria. This is a normal reaction caused when the immune system is activated. Viruses and bacteria will often thrive at normal body temperatures, but the increase in temperature will often destroy them.

Viruses and bacteria are not the only things that might raise your temperature. Some other causes will also raise the temperature of your body. These may include:

  • Some medications
  • Dehydration
  • Heat stroke
  • Overexposure to the sun

Determining Temperature

There are several ways to determine a person’s temperature. If the temperature is at least one of the following temperatures, a fever is present:

  • Mouth – 99.9 F
  • Rectum – 100-101 F
  • Under the arm or inside the ear – 99 F.

Symptoms

Typical symptoms of elevated body temperature are the same as for those related to most general sicknesses. These include:

  • Lack of appetite
  • Dehydration
  • Depression
  • Feeling cold with possible shivering
  • Lethargy
  • Sleepiness
  • Difficulty concentrating

The Main Concern

When there is an above normal body temperature, the primary concern is not about how high the temperature goes. Instead, the main thing to watch is how fast the temperature rises. If it rises fast, the person needs to go and get medical attention quickly.

When to See a Doctor

The presence of an above normal temperature is not considered a reason to go to the doctor. Most fevers will resolve on their own. If the temperature of a child rises to 104 F from normal body temperature within an hour or so, get them to medical treatment quickly. When a temperature rises that fast, the normal methods of bringing the temperature down are not going to stop it. This is especially true if you have already given the child some medication and it is still not slowing down.

If the high temperature lasts more than one day in a child who is less than two years old, or if it lasts more than three days in a child older than two years, take them to a doctor. If your child is not acting normal, or drinking fluids, get them to a doctor. When a child has a high temperature (above 104), there is a danger of having a seizure, called febrile seizures.

Diagnosis

When you go to a doctor for a diagnosis of why your temperature is high – or on the rise – there may be several tests given. The doctor will first check to see if there are any other symptoms present. In addition, you may be given urine tests, blood tests, x-rays, and possibly other scans.

When you or your child has a fever, you can bring them to the Silver Star Urgent Care clinic. All of the doctors are Board-certified, and some of them have worked in hospital emergency rooms. Walk-ins are welcome, and there is very little wait time – unlike at a hospital emergency room. Our medical staff is caring toward our patients.

Contact info

228 Beach 20th Street Far Rockaway, NY 11691

(516) 750-0252

info@SilverStarUrgentCare.com