Fever

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Temperature measurement

Thermometer temperature

Although infections are the most common causes of elevated body temperature, fevers have a long list of other causes, including toxins, cancers, and autoimmune diseases.

Heatstroke is a particularly dangerous type of high temperature, because the body is not able to stop the temperature from continuing to rise. It can happen when a child is left in a hot car or when you exercise too strenuously without enough to drink.

Unexplained fevers that continue for days or weeks are called fevers of undetermined origin (FUO).

• Viral and bacterial infections
• Colds or flu-like illnesses
• Sore throats and strep throat
• Ear infections
• Viral gastroenteritis or bacterial gastroenteritis
• Acute bronchitis
• Infectious mononucleosis
• Urinary tract infections
• Upper respiratory infections (such as tonsillitis , pharyngitis or laryngitis )
• Medications (such as antibiotics, antihistamines, barbiturates, and drugs for high blood pressure)
• Occasionally, more serious problems like pneumonia, appendicitis, tuberculosis, and meningitis
• Fever can occur in infants who are overdressed in hot weather or a hot environment
• Collagen vascular disease , rheumatoid diseases, and autoimmune disorders
• Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
• Lupus erythematosus
• Periarteritis nodosa
• AIDS and HIV infection
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Regional enteritis
• Ulcerative colitis
• Cancer
• Leukemia
• Neuroblastoma
• Hodgkin's disease
• Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Review Date: 05/12/2006
Reviewed By: Daniel Rauch, MD, FAAP, Director, Pediatric Hospitalist Program, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.