How to Break a Fever: Treatment Tips for Various Ages
Written by Zawn VillinesReviewed by Suzanne Falck, MD, FACP
Knowledge center
Last reviewed: Thu 9 February 2017
email
5
83Share
Overheating in hot weather can cause an unusually high body temperature. In most cases, however, fevers are an immune reaction. A raised temperature assists the immune system as it attempts to fight off infection from viruses, bacteria, and some other pathogens.
Fevers can be scary, especially in young children, who tend to spike very high temperatures. Parents often worry about any body temperature higher than 98.6°F.
Because body temperature can vary by a degree or two, most doctors define a fever as a temperature that exceeds 99.5ºF when measured orally. Armpit temperatures indicate a fever at 99ºF or higher. Rectal temperatures are about a degree warmer than oral temperatures, so a rectal fever begins at about 100.4°F.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/315706.php
