Why do we try to cool down our body when we have a fever even though we know that our body did it to better fight off infection?
In: Biology
A fever is our body’s nuclear option to fight off infections. Yes it can kill off pathogens. But our organs and systems can’t survive for long at higher than normal temperatures. Granted, we measure fevers in gradients and our bodies can withstand low-to-mid grade fevers relatively well for short periods of time (a few days). But once you get into high-grade territory, that fever is going to do more damage to you as it’s trying to kill off the infection and put your life and long-term health at risk through organ damage.
Plus, if you’re running a fever for a long time (more than a few days), that’s also evidence that your body is not killing off the infection and needs a different intervention. At that point, there’s no reason to continue letting the body run the fever and risk excess damage if you’re able to treat the underlying infection with another intervention.
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