Chills

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• There is stiffness of the neck, confusion, significant irritability, or sluggishness.
• There is a significant cough, shortness of breath, abdominal pain or burning, or frequency of urination.
• There is a temperature of 101 degrees Fahrenheit or more in a child younger than 3 months of age.
• A child between 3 months and 1 year has a fever that lasts more than 24 hours.
• The fever remains above 103 degrees Fahrenheit after an hour or 2 of home treatment.
• The fever does not improve after 3 days, or has lasted more than 5 days.

The health care provider will obtain your medical history and will perform a physical examination.

Medical history questions documenting chills in detail may include the following:

• Is it only a cold feeling?
• Are you actually shaking ?
• What has been the highest body temperature connected with the chills?
• Did the chills happen only once or are there many separate occurrences (episodic)?
• How long does each attack last (for how many hours)?
• Did chills occur within 4 - 6 hours after exposure to something that you or your child are allergic to?
• Did they begin suddenly?
• Do they occur repeatedly? How often (how many days between episodes of chills)?
• What other symptoms are present?

The physical examination may include emphasis on the skin, eyes, ears, nose, throat, neck, chest, and abdomen. Body temperature will likely be checked.

Diagnostic tests that may be performed include the following:

• Blood (such as CBC or blood differential) and urine tests (such as urinalysis)
• Sputum culture
• Blood culture
• Urine culture
• X-ray of the chest

Review Date: 01/18/2007
Reviewed By: Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.