How to Recognize Chronic Fever

A fever is usually a symptom that the body is fending off an infection or undesirable condition. The most common causes of a fever are cold and flu, but fevers can be caused by a wide variety of illnesses. In cases in which the fever is prolonged, recurring, or chronic, the causes can be a little more difficult to understand. To recognize chronic fever, you will need to pay attention to some of the accompanying symptoms, your recent activities and your health history. If you are experiencing chronic fever, see a doctor.

Things You'll Need

• Oral thermometer
• Anal thermometer (optional)

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Instructions

• 1

  Learn how to take your own temperature. Using an oral thermometer, place the sensor under your tongue for a good two minutes or more. Be sure not to eat or drink anything for the 15 minutes prior to taking your temperature. If your temperature is higher than 99 degrees F or 37 degrees C, you are in the fever zone.

• 2

  Determine how long you have had your fever. A chronic fever is one that lasts for longer than a few days or recurs at regular or irregular intervals over the course of weeks, months or years. If this is the case, you might have a chronic fever. This means your autoimmune system is either fighting something off, or it is fighting unnecessarily with itself due to an autoimmune disorder. In either case, see a doctor.

• 3

  Assess accompanying symptoms, if any. Do you have a persistent cough, headache, infection, abdominal pain or bodily soreness? Often a chronic fever will be accompanied by some of these symptoms, but not necessarily. A chronic fever can exist all by itself.

• 4

  Assess your recent activities. For example, have you visited a foreign country? Had intimate contact with another person or drank from the same glass? These activities can increase the chances of catching a virus whose symptoms include fever. This can help you to hone in on whether your fever is chronic or the result of repeated exposure to new stimuli.

• 5

  Assess your health history. If you have recently had a bout with pneumonia, for example, there is a chance of a recurring, chronic fever after recovery. If you have an disorder of the autoimmune system, you are more likely to experience chronic fever.