Accompanying symptoms
The typical side effects of an increased temperature are mainly the following: Especially in the phase of fever increase, there is often an additional chill and a feeling of cold, as the body is still in the process of raising the core temperature by means of muscle trembling. The severity of the respective symptoms depends primarily on the level of the fever, whereby the following applies to all symptoms (except for the chills): the higher the temperature, the more pronounced the symptoms.
- Tiredness/fatigue
- Muscle, joint, head and limb pain
- Sweat outbreaks/heat sensation,
- An accelerated breathing and pulse rate
- A dry or coated tongue
- Dry and hot skin
- Shining eyes
- Loss of appetite
- Unrest
- Nausea and vomiting
- Constipation symptoms
Headaches, like aching limbs, are classic symptoms of flu and colds, often occurring in combination and accompanied by high temperatures or fever. But beware: fever a strong feeling of illness and severe headaches, especially in children and young people, can sometimes be signs of much more dangerous diseases, such as meningitis.
However, other symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, neck stiffness and back pain or even clouding of consciousness are usually also noticeable. If the temperature rises during a cold or flu-like infection, it is often accompanied by aching limbs and tiredness or listlessness. The reason for this is that the body is running at full speed by fighting off the pathogens and therefore needs a lot of energy to keep the immune system going.
A feeling of tiredness is therefore not surprising. The same applies, however, if the increased temperature occurs in the context of an inflammation raging in the body. In this case, too, an increased body temperature leads to an increased consumption of energy.
The increased temperature creates better working conditions for the defence cells fighting the inflammation. The combination of aching limbs and elevated temperatures is well known to everyone. It occurs classically with flu-like infections, whether they are viral or bacterial in nature.
Just as fever is an expression of the working immune system, pain, especially in the arms and legs, is also a sign of the pathogen defence: in the course of fighting the pathogen, various cells secrete certain messenger substances, the so-called prostaglandins. These are able to irritate the pain receptors in the body, so that painful sensations can occur. If abdominal pain is accompanied by fever or elevated temperatures, this can be a sign of a “harmless” gastroenteritis.
However, it can also hide various inflammations of the organs in the abdominal cavity. Depending on where the maximum of abdominal pain is concentrated, initial assumptions about its origin can be made. A classic example is pain in the right lower abdomen with accompanying fever, which can be a sign of an inflammation of the appendix.
If elevated temperatures are accompanied by diarrhea and other symptoms such as abdominal pain or nausea and vomiting may also occur, these may be signs of gastroenteritis (stomach flu). This is usually caused by bacteria or viruses ingested with food or water, more rarely by food poisoning or food allergies. If there are chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, elevated temperatures and diarrhoea can also indicate an acute flare.
Nausea as an accompanying symptom of fever is relatively unspecific. On the one hand, it can be an expression of general indisposition, e.g. in connection with a flu-like infection or a cold. On the other hand, it also often occurs – in combination with abdominal complaints and diarrhoea – in gastrointestinal infections. An accompaniment with fever is very common. In the case of prolonged and above all very high temperatures, however, circulation problems can also occur due to the increased loss of fluid, which in turn can lead to dizziness and nausea.
