A fever is a temporary increase in your body temperature, often due to an illness. Having a fever is a sign that something out of the ordinary is going on in your body. For an adult, a fever may be uncomfortable, but usually isn't a cause for concern unless it reaches F For infants and toddlers, a slightly elevated temperature may indicate a serious infection. Fevers generally go away within a few days. A number of over-the-counter medications lower a fever, but sometimes it's better left untreated. Fever seems to play a key role in helping your body fight off a number of infections.

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Top of the page Check Your Symptoms. Fever is the body's normal and healthy reaction to infection and other illnesses, both minor and serious. It helps the body fight infection. Fever is a symptom, not a disease. In most cases, having a fever means you have a minor illness. When you have a fever, your other symptoms will help you determine how serious your illness is. Temperatures in this topic are oral temperatures.
And what should you do about it?
A fever is a common side effect of illness like the flu. It happens when there is a temporary rise in body temperature. A fever is usually a sign that your immune system is busy fighting an infection or other illness. In babies and toddlers even a slight fever may be a sign of a serious illness. In adults a fever is not usually serious or life-threatening. However, sometimes a fever in adults can be a warning signal that something is not right. A high or persistent fever might be a sign of a serious health condition.
When certain pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses, enter the body, the immune system signals the body to increase its temperature in an attempt to destroy them. However, severe illness can cause the mechanisms that maintain a normal body temperature to go awry, and the results can lead to extremely high temperatures that can be life-threatening. Doctors consider this temperature to be a high-grade fever. However, a fever is not the only symptom a person has when they are ill. A person should consider other symptoms, such as vomiting, breathing issues, confusion, or how they feel overall when deciding whether they need medical attention. Doctors categorize a fever by the reading on the thermometer, how long the fever lasts, and whether it keeps going up and down.