Introduction
Fever is usually a symptomatic manifestation of a vital infection and is characterized by an increase in temperature. Different boundaries are drawn for children and adults. While adults are referred to as having a fever from a temperature of 38.3 degrees Celsius, the limit for newborns is already 37.8 degrees Celsius. There are several basic rules to clarify the question of when exactly I should go to a doctor with a fever.
When should I go to the doctor with fever?
In order to be able to judge at what point one has to go to the doctor with a fever, other factors are assessed in addition to the absolute temperature measured, such as the severity of the symptoms and the general condition. Common symptoms are headache, diarrhea (fever and diarrhea), pain when urinating or purulent sputum. Infants up to and including the 3rd month of life should consult a pediatrician if their body temperature exceeds 38 degrees Celsius.
Infants with a fever lasting more than one day should consult a doctor. With older children, however, the question of when to go to the doctor with a fever is answered differently. The general rule of thumb is that a child with a body temperature of 39 degrees Celsius or a fever that has persisted or recurs for more than three days should be examined by a doctor.
Adults should see a doctor if the fever persists for more than two or three days or recurs repeatedly. In addition to the current body temperature, it is always important to have a summary of the temperature and the clinical symptoms. From an immunological point of view, it is not advisable to see a doctor for every fever and to lower the temperature by a drug therapy.
The increased temperature can be very valuable for the body to fight the pathogens. The function of fever is to accelerate the immune response. Infections can last longer if the temperature rise is suppressed in fever.
The decision as to whether a fever-lowering therapy should be initiated also depends, for example, on the previous illnesses of the person affected. In the case of an existing serious heart, kidney or lung disease, the fever can put a great deal of strain on the organism, which is why an effective temperature reduction is more appropriate than in a patient without previous illnesses. In otherwise healthy patients who develop a fever episode after e.g. a respiratory infection with 39 degrees Celsius, it is usually advised to endure the fever for the reasons mentioned above.
