Feel sleepy, breakdown and apathy? All this can serve as symptoms of fever. So, the thermometer confirmed your fears. The temperature does not drop below 37 degrees for a long time - a week, two, a month ... What to do? No, of course, the situation is not critical, there is no acute threat to life and there is no need to cause a resuscitation team either. However, it is strictly necessary to find out the reason.
Why does the temperature rise?
Elevated human temperature is a protective reaction of our body. It is caused by pyrogens. These are special substances that, on the one hand, can serve as vital products of a number of pathogens, and on the other hand, are produced by our immune cells. In simple terms, temperature is the weapon with which our body fights viruses. At 38 ° C, interferon is produced in it. It is he who serves as a threat to pathogens.
As a rule, with such symptoms, the patient is prescribed antibiotics, as well as drugs to lower the temperature. The latter is fatal not only for viruses, but also for our body, giving a strong load on the heart and lungs. A completely different matter is a body temperature of 37 degrees, which doctors call subfebrile. She can hold on for a long time, and finding out its cause can be difficult even for experienced therapists after a thorough medical examination. What does the temperature mean 37 degrees?
No reason to panic
Reason number one is the absence of all sorts of reasons, excuse me for the tautology! School textbooks on anatomy and medical encyclopedias rooted in our minds that the normal human temperature is exactly 36.6 degrees. All that is less than this value is an indicator of loss of strength, and all that is more is a symptom of an infection or inflammatory process. But is this always true?
It turns out that the temperature norm is individual for everyone and can vary between 35.5–37.5 degrees. This vital indicator is influenced by a number of factors - gender and age, level of physical activity, hormonal levels. In some cases, it may depend on temperature and humidity, as well as time of day. Between five and eleven o'clock in the evening its value can rise by 0.5 degrees. In children, in some cases, the normal temperature can reach 37.5 degrees. Sometimes it rises in women during the menstrual and menopause. However, an adult's temperature of 37 is not an alarm only when no other symptoms are observed. Otherwise, you should immediately consult a therapist in order to avoid serious consequences.
The common cold is the main suspect
If you have a temperature of 37 for a long time , the reasons should first be sought in colds. As a rule, other symptoms accompany it - headache, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, and a starting dry cough. Low-grade fever may persist after acute viral diseases. The body needs some time to restore strength and normalize the main indicators.
Complications of colds and viral diseases
However, colds and viral diseases due to our negligence, on the one hand, and the resistance of modern strains of viruses to antibiotics, on the other hand, can turn into chronic tonsillitis and have other complications. Inflammatory processes in the tonsils (both pharyngeal and palatine) can also cause a temperature of 37. In order to avoid such negative consequences, colds and viral diseases must be treated until all symptoms disappear and the temperature is restored.
Is it a cold?
“Temperature 37, I get a cold”, - such messages are not uncommon on thematic forums. However, are you sure that this is just a cold illness, and not, say, focal pneumonia? We are often mistaken in believing that the main symptom of pneumonia is high fever. It is a myth. The thermometer shows 37 degrees. The temperature is not critical, but it requires your attention. If cough and general weakness accompany it, then it is better to play it safe and take an X-ray. With this disease, inflammatory processes occur in the lung tissue. Often they are not caused by infections, but fungal or viral-bacterial pneumonia may well develop against their background . This disease requires immediate treatment with antibiotics. Remember that late diagnosis worsens the prognosis. Despite the presence of various types of the strongest antibiotics, a fatal outcome is possible in cases of advanced forms of pneumonia.
Caution: Tuberculosis!
Weakness, temperature 37, and the other symptoms listed above can also be caused by bacterial, fungal, viral, or parasitic infections. Sometimes they indicate toxoplasmosis, syphilis, immunodeficiency virus and tuberculosis. The latter requires special attention.
If in the last century tuberculosis was considered a disease of the poor, today, unfortunately, no one is safe from it. The causative agent of this disease is mycobacterium tuberculosis. According to the WHO, every third inhabitant of the Earth is its carrier. However, infected - does not mean sick. In the first case, microbacteria are not active in the human body. Such people do not experience symptoms of the disease and cannot infect others. However, in the case of weakened immunity, which leads to stress, malnutrition, excessive exercise and lack of sleep, microbacteria can affect the lungs, and in some cases other organs and systems.
The number of patients with tuberculosis today, only according to official figures, is 1% of the population. In reality, this indicator is many times higher. Every day, without suspecting it, we often come across tuberculosis patients. Representatives of various sectors of society are subject to this disease. Doctors and pharmacists, public transport drivers and sellers, kindergarten teachers and university professors. This disease does not choose. However, with healthy immunity, you can only get infected from a patient with an open form of tuberculosis. In this case, microbacteria enter the environment with saliva and sputum.
To detect tuberculosis, a fluorographic study is necessary. In many clinical cases, a temperature of 37 was held for a month, after which the patient was diagnosed with this disease. A slight cough for a long time is another reason to see a doctor. However, tuberculosis is not a sentence. In the vast majority of cases, this ailment can be overcome if you follow the treatment regimen. For the prevention of tuberculosis, vaccination is being carried out today.
Stress as a cause of fever
“The temperature 37 held for a month, and then recovered,” - many of us have faced this situation. We almost never associate fever with stress. Today they have become so common for us that we simply do not respond to them, which cannot be said about our body. It reacts to external stimuli at the physical and chemical levels. When we are nervous, the pressure rises, the heart rate quickens, and adrenaline enters the bloodstream. All systems begin to work more actively, as a result of which the temperature rises. It turns out that this phenomenon is so widespread that experts even introduced a special term for it to mean “psychogenic temperature”. At the same time, a person may also experience dizziness, shortness of breath and general malaise. Frequent stresses can cause chronic fatigue syndrome over time. If you had a temperature of 37 a month, then this may indicate just about him. With such a disease, the functions of the nervous, endocrine and immune systems may be impaired. A simple rest will not save you from such serious consequences. In this case, the help of a specialist is required.
Aggravation of the Chronicle
The thermometer shows 37 degrees. Temperature can be caused by exacerbation of chronic diseases and inflammation in various organs. Dysfunctions of the cardiovascular system and thyroid gland, peptic ulcer, gastritis, pyelonephritis, etc. For a long time, the main symptom of these diseases can be subfebrile temperature. She may also be accompanied by pain in certain areas. In these cases, you must contact a specialist. The temperature will return to normal when the inflammation passes.
Malignant neoplasms
A slight increase in temperature, especially in the evening, can be caused by malignant neoplasms. Intoxication leads to it. A higher temperature (from 37.5 to 38 degrees) indicates that the body began the process of decay of the tumor, which joined the inflammation. In many cases, oncology develops against the background of existing chronic diseases. However, in some cases, malignant cells can infect healthy tissues and not manifest themselves for a long time. If the temperature 37 lasted a month, and no acute pain was observed, unfortunately, this is not a reason to discard this version. It will be useful to undergo a general examination. The latter is shown annually. Diagnosis of the disease in the early stages is the key to the success of its treatment. One of the countries with the lowest cancer mortality rates today is Israel. An employment contract signed by specialists when applying for a job provides for dismissal in case of failure to undergo a medical examination once a year. Such a discipline would not hurt us either.
“Interesting position”
The reason for raising the temperature to 37 degrees can not only not upset you, but also serve as an occasion for the greatest joy in life. In some cases, it is pregnancy. Sometimes a low-grade fever accompanies all nine months, during which a woman carries a fetus. It can be determined by physiological characteristics and the individual reaction of the female body to pregnancy. However, be careful: an increase in temperature in an “interesting position” can also be caused by viral infections and inflammatory processes. Self-treatment is fraught with the most negative consequences. Consultation with a gynecologist is strictly required!
Temperature 37: what to do?
The above are the possible causes of low-grade fever. But what if, due to the absence of pain and other symptoms, you yourself cannot even make an approximate diagnosis to consult a specialist? So, instead of the usual cheerfulness, you feel weakness and breakdown, and the temperature on the thermometer is 37. What should I do? It's time to move on to specific actions. First of all, you need to contact a therapist and take a blood test. If there is inflammation in the body, then its results will show it.
What to look for?
Can I read the analysis myself? Yes, and for this you do not need a medical education. On the received form with the result, you will see your indicator and rate. The disease will be indicated by an increased number of white blood cells, as well as a deviation to a greater side of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. But hemoglobin, by contrast, will be reduced. Such results can be caused by a variety of ailments. For more accurate data, it is necessary to undergo a fluorographic study, as well as ultrasound of the pelvic organs and abdominal cavity. This will exclude or confirm a number of diseases, in particular tuberculosis.