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The human body is a very complex and complicated structure, and functioning every organ properly in the body is a very essential and difficult task. Not every organ and every part is well every time. Sometimes the body comes across various types of bacterial infections and many others. Many people are confused between low-grade fever and a normal fever.
This article will provide complete information on what is a low-grade fever, its causes, symptoms, and treatment. You will also learn about dark urine, psychogenic fever1, mild fevers, drug fever, grade fever, sore throat, normal body temperature, urinary tract infections, body temperature, internal temperature, body aches, psychological stress, common cold, respiratory infections, and many more things in detail.
In this article, we will also cover various areas, including the body’s normal temperature, elevated body temperature, serious infection, persistent low-grade fever, stiff neck, immune system, frequent urination, and autoimmune diseases.
People are not much aware of low-grade fever. They treat it as a normal fever. However, the causes, signs and symptoms, and treatments are different in the case of low-grade fever. Let’s first try to understand more about what is a low-grade fever.
1. What is a Low-Grade Fever
A low-grade fever is a kind of fever in which the person’s body temperature increases between 99 to 100.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The normal body temperature is almost below 98 degrees Fahrenheit, but if it arses to 99 or more, it comes under the low-grade fever.
Majorly low-grade fever lasts only for a few days. Still, if persistent low-grade fever is observed, it may be due to respiratory infections, rheumatoid arthritis, and distinguishing organic and non-organic forms.
Many people from the clinical population assume that low-grade fever is not a very serious matter to seek attention to. To understand whether that is harmful or not, first, it’s important to understand what is a low-grade fever.
It has many other symptoms also. The other symptoms include a low-grade fever or persistent fever with cold and flu.
This low-grade fever varies in young women, babies younger than one year, children, and older adults. It also depends on the age factor and severity of the infections. Over the counter, various unknown origin bacteria are responsible for this low-grade fever.
The healthcare provider or professionals first advise the person with persistent low-grade fever to drink plenty of water.
2. Low-Grade Fever – Symptoms
Now let’s talk about the general signs and symptoms of low-grade fever.
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Headache
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Fatigue
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Flu
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Sweating
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Appetite loss
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Body temperature rises
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Persistent low-grade fevers
Most low-grade fevers only last for a few days to a few weeks, and there is no need for medical attention for that. But if persistent low-grade fevers are present, immediately see a doctor as fast as possible.
Low-grade fevers are not very serious until and unless they are persistent. Persistent low-grade fevers mean which remain even after taking medical care. It may be some time due to hot weather, peer-reviewed studies, infectious disease, int j Clin Pract, and heavy clothing.
The other symptoms and signs of low-grade fever include elevated temperature, which appears to be some serious illness, and fever for more than three days.
To avoid confusion, the doctor will do a physical examination with a normal response. A healthcare provider will prescribe you the first simple medication for lowering your body temperature.
3. Causes of Low-Grade Fever
We have discussed what is a low-grade fever. Low-grade fever has several causes, including colds, flu, infections, some toxic medication, and fluid deposition, to counter the symptoms experienced by any person. Now, let’s discuss the main reasons for a low-grade fever.
With all these external factors, sometimes, in rare cases, body temperature rises due to external factors, including temp taken orally or rectally.
Along with these external and internal factors, other symptoms also exist in low-grade fever, and a fever is a type of mechanism in the human body. Our body temperature arises when something abnormal or wrong happens inside our body. This may be due to infection or maybe sometimes due to a pathogen attack.
The fever indicates that your immune system is facing or fighting some foreign particles. It may be bacteria, viruses, or microorganisms.
The exact reason the body temperature rises while fighting with the foreign particle is unknown. Still, experts think the body raises its temperature to kill the infection-causing microorganism.
Some common bacteria or viruses that induce low-grade fever in a person are flu, cold, COVID-192, ear infections, strep throat, and chickenpox.
Infection is now identified as the prominent cause of low-grade fever. Now let’s discuss the various types of infections.
3.01. Infection
Infections are of two types bacterial and viral infection. Both bacterial, as well as viral infections, both are having almost the same kinds and types of signs and symptoms. Common symptoms and signs in children and different ages people are fever and an increase in body temperature.
3.02. Viral Gastroenteritis
Viral gastroenteritis, also known as stomach flu, is usually caused by rotavirus 3and norovirus and promotes low-grade fever in patients. The first symptoms of this infection are a persistent low-grade fever along with cold and fluids deposited in children.
3.03. E.Coli
Escherichia coli is a gram-negative bacteria mainly responsible for gastrointestinal problems in humans. The treatment of the e. Coli bacteria4 is possible, and it is not that harmful if treated on time, but if it remains untreated, it will cause fever and other symptoms in humans.
3.04. Stress
It is not always true that low-grade fever is due to viral or bacterial infection; sometimes, the reason behind it is stress; Too much pressure, which every person faces in their normal day-to-day life, also causes low-grade fever. It does not require any treatment or doctor consult.
3.05. Vaccine
The vaccine also causes a low grade; it generally comes under the side effects vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccine, flu shot, and many childhood immunization vaccines 5induce low-grade fever in the younger baby.
3.06. Sensitivity To Particular Drug
Some people are very much sensitive toward the different kinds of drugs. As a result, the consumption of certain drugs appears as a low-grade fever. To understand what a low-grade fever is, first, read the definition at the start; it will help you better understand what a low-grade fever is and why a drug causes low-grade fever.
To avoid this, doctors generally prescribe very common drugs that have almost no side effects for all types of people.
3.07. Menstruation
This is one of the major causes to promote low-grade fever in individuals. The increase in the basal body temperature between almost 0.3 to 0.7 degrees Celsius also causes a low grade, especially in women.
4. Treatment of Low-Grade Fever
Until now, we have discussed a low-grade fever, its causes and symptoms, and its signs. So, let’s discuss its treatments one by one in detail.
Although low-grade people often do not require doctor consultation and medication, persistent low-grade fever needs treatment.
4.01. Medication
Normal medication, including paracetamol, is given to patients suffering from low-grade fever. If the fever is still persistent, the doctor goes for a blood test to find out about infections.
4.02. Resting
As already discussed, low-grade fever, in many cases, does not need consultation, and you can treat it at home by properly resting and drinking enough water.
4.03. Wearing Light Cloths
Sometimes clothing also causes a low grade; in that case, the experts advise wearing light clothing.
4.04. Eating Light
To treat low-grade fever at home, it is suggested to eat light, light things that are easy to digest and easily utilized to generate ATP in the body, which is the power unit of the human body.
4.05. Hydration
The next very important thing suggested is to keep hydrating yourself as frequently as possible. A good hydration level helps the body overcome low-grade fever very easily and without any medicines.
5. Final Note
People are very confused and misguided about the fever grades. We hope this article cleared all the aspects related to what is a low-grade fever.
What is low-grade fever- The simple answer is a fever between 98 to 103 degrees is called low-grade fever.
The increase in normal body temperature up to 103 degrees Fahrenheit is a low-grade fever. The doctors advise various treatments, including resting and wearing light and low clothing.
This article’s underlying cause of low-grade fevers is very important and tells a lot about the signs and symptoms.
6. FAQs
Q. What is the best way to treat a low-grade fever?
The main goal of treatment is to deal with the underlying cause of the fever. Resting frequently, drinking plenty of water, and using over-the-counter painkillers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen can all help lessen discomfort and bring down a temperature. It’s vital to avoid overtreating.
Q. When should I get a low-grade fever treated by a doctor?
If the fever lasts more than a few days, is present in infants younger than three months of age, is accompanied by serious symptoms (such as breathing problems, continuous vomiting, or confusion), or if you have a compromised immune system as a result of a chronic illness6, you should think about getting medical attention.
- Oka, Takakazu. “Psychogenic fever: how psychological stress affects body temperature in the clinical population.” Temperature 2.3 (2015): 368-378. ↩︎
- Ciotti, Marco, et al. “The COVID-19 pandemic.” Critical reviews in clinical laboratory sciences 57.6 (2020): 365-388. ↩︎
- Crawford, Sue E., et al. “Rotavirus infection.” Nature Reviews Disease Primers 3.1 (2017): 1-16. ↩︎
- Ramos, Sónia, et al. “Escherichia coli as commensal and pathogenic bacteria among food-producing animals: Health implications of extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production.” Animals 10.12 (2020): 2239. ↩︎
- Tregoning, John S., et al. “Vaccines for COVID-19.” Clinical & Experimental Immunology 202.2 (2020): 162-192. ↩︎
- Cohn, Liel N., et al. “Health outcomes of parents of children with chronic illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” The Journal of pediatrics 218 (2020): 166-177. ↩︎
Last Updated on by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology
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