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FiveDaysOfPoop t1_iuhvbnh wrote

Reply to comment by InfernalOrgasm in What is the actual mechanism by which the body generates a fever? by Pheophyting

So if the body is heating up to fight an infection are we not working against it by taking antipyretics?

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Tagracat t1_iuhwyk8 wrote

Basically, yes. Fevers are functional in that the higher body temperature begins to denature the proteins in infectious agents, or otherwise makes it inhospitable for them to reproduce, which allows the immune system to finish mopping up. We should let fevers do their thing unless the person is suffering a lot of discomfort (with the understanding that being sick in itself is going to be uncomfortable, and the fever will make them achy and weak. Which is a good signal to rest and let the immune system work.)

If the fever starts getting really out of control (like 105F/40C or higher) it runs the risk of cooking our own proteins as well, causing brain damage, or causing cells that we should probably hold onto to go into apoptosis. That's when we should step in and be like "dude, back the hell off" and try to lower body temperature or encourage the fever to break before it busts something it wasn't supposed to.

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concentrated-amazing t1_iuilw8b wrote

I always weigh this when I'm sick, because I have three related factors that make fevers much more difficult for me (30F).

I have MS, and that means:

  • One of my particular brain lesions is in my hypothalamus, which affects my body temperature and my perception of it.
  • My body temp going over about 37.5°C/99.5°F starts to make my other, previous symptoms come back/be worse, including dizziness, balance, and leg weakness. When I had a fever with COVID, I was literally clutching walls, back of chair, etc. to get from room to room. (Normally I don't have any walking issues, only when I'm too hot.)
  • I almost never sweat. It will occasionally kick in, with maybe 20% of the sweat I should/used to be able to produce. So I can't bring my body temp down without external help like water/ice or cold air. If I don't have access to these, I'm at risk for heat stroke.

Thankfully, I don't get fevers often, but when I do, they seriously kick my butt. My first dose of COVID vaccine took me 3 days to feel mostly normal and a full week to feel completely normal. I have had 4 doses now, and know to proactively take both naproxen and acetaminophen at their recommended highest dose/interval.

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zbertoli t1_iui4zmm wrote

Pretty sure of you're close to 104 or higher you run the risk of dying. Gotta drop that fever. Or if you have a non productive fever like when you get a vaccine. It's doing nothing to help you in that case

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Bulletorpedo t1_iujyp9p wrote

40C (104F) is quite normal, specially in children. I believe what they say here is to seek help if you have 40C for more than a few days. Any thing above 41C (~106F) or if you’re in otherwise bad shape and it’s probably a good idea to seek help sooner.

People are different though, some will have 40C and be in fairly good shape, while others can barely walk as soon as they go above 38.5C.

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Zigazig_ahhhh t1_iuhw6eb wrote

Yes, that's correct. If I don't have anything pressing to do, I usually don't take fever reducing meds unless my fever is over 38°. low grade fevers aren't hurting me, but they are hurting whatever infection I may have.

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InfernalOrgasm t1_iuhwg5o wrote

Our immune system is a bit outdated. Typically, we can treat the ailment better ourselves with proper medications and procedures. Back when our immune system developed, we didn't have any of these things. A fever damages your body, your brain, and your immune system wreaks a lot of collateral damage. In our early stages of life, a little collateral damage is better than dead. Nowadays, we don't need that collateral damage because we can just treat it ourselves.

Our immune systems are not perfect, but it's better than nothing.

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0range_julius t1_iui7z6k wrote

>Typically, we can treat the ailment better ourselves with proper medications and procedures.

What? I object to this immune system slander. We've invented some great medicines, sure. But first off, your immune system is constantly watching out for infections and cancer and kills them before they get out of hand enough for you to even notice them. There's no way you could replace that.

When things do get out of control, we have medicine to help us out, but most of them won't just fix you by themselves, they work in tandem with your immune system. That's why people whose immune systems are wiped out are basically dead men walking. Not to mention the constant arms race with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The immune system isn't perfect (I'm well-aware, I have allergies and an autoimmune disease), but it's incredibly sophisticated, to the point that we still don't completely understand it, and our medical technology hasn't gotten close to making it obsolete.

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InfernalOrgasm t1_iui8imv wrote

I don't really disagree; it is an incredibly complex, useful, and absolutely necessary system. But with the use of medications, we can prevent a whole host of side effects from the immune system. Why wouldn't you if you could? I don't recall ever saying any of the things you're implying I've said.

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relom t1_iuhz79f wrote

Is that colateral damage only for high fevers or would a 38° fever do some colateral damage?

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InfernalOrgasm t1_iuhzrcc wrote

Mostly high level fevers; but our bodies maintain a "body temperature" for optimal performance for a reason. Low grade fevers are not much to worry about.

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