What causes fevers?

Answer 1

Fever can be caused by many different factors. The primary being the bodies response to some type of infection. Examples may be viral or bacterial in nature. For instance, a urinary tract infection (bladder infection), infection of a wound, influenza (the flu).

Usually, but not always, particularly in the early stages of an illness, the bodies WBC (white blood cell count) is also elevated. The body responds to infection by sending the white blood cells to help combat the ensuing infection.

Patients often feel cold during a feverish episode, because the body believes it is colder than it should be - even though it is hotter than it normally is - and trying to warm itself up by shivering.

Fever in any infection is a result of the body trying to fight off the intruder. Basically, it turns the thermostat up higher, and then convinces itself to try and reach that new mark. This results in increased heartrate and muscle activity (such as by shivering). The higher heat can help to speed up immune response and action, as well as inhibit the growth of the infection inside the body, thus making the body more effective at fighting off the problem.

Answer 2

It is a sign of infection somewhere within the body