Symptoms

Fever
Sweating
Chills
Shaking
Shivering
Muscle aches
Headache
Loss of taste
Loss of appetite
Irritability
Dehydration
Weakness

What To Expect

When you have a fever with a cold, it usually progresses in three phases - presuming there are no complications: In the first phase, the fever rises to a certain temperature. In the second phase, the temperature reached is maintained. In the third phase, the fever drops back to normal temperature. This can happen within a few hours, but can also take a few days. Accompanying symptoms of fever are often a general feeling of illness with complaints such as fatigue, exhaustion, loss of appetite and headache.

Made Worse By

It is recommended to avoid physical exertion and get rest. Since you lose fluid through sweating, make sure to drink enough. If the temperature is between 39 and 40°C, you can reduce the fever with calf wraps or with paracetamol. The cloths are cooled with normal cold tap water and wrapped tightly around the calves of the outstretched legs. A dry cloth is placed over them. The calf wraps remain on for 5 minutes and should be repeated 2 to 3 times. Be careful not to lower the temperature too quickly, as this could put too much strain on the circulation. It is also important to keep the feet and the rest of the body warm. People with fever need more fluids than normal. You should therefore drink plenty of fluids when you have a fever. As a rule of thumb, for each degree above 37°C, the body needs an additional half to one liter of fluid daily, preferably water or unsweetened fruit teas. Add this amount to the normal amount you drink (about 1.5 to 2.5 liters per day).

Diagnosed By

A detailed medical history, the course of the fever, a thorough physical examination, and, depending on the suspected diagnosis, imaging examinations of the internal organs, the ear, nose, and throat, or the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, plus blood tests: this is how the possible causes can be narrowed down. Special antibody tests often help to track down the cause. It may also be possible to detect suspected pathogens under the microscope, to cultivate them from the blood (blood cultures, see chapter "Diagnosis in fever") or to identify their genetic material. Sometimes a test for tuberculosis helps further (for example, skin test, also tuberculin test). Unfortunately, sometimes no cause is found despite all efforts. If it remains unknown and the fever persists for more than three weeks with values above 38 °C, it is a fever of unclear origin.