12 Causes of Long Term Fever Not To Ignore

Long term fever can be experienced by anyone, but how quickly the healing process is determined by the immune system or how strong the immune system is when the fever is attacking. There are several causes of long term fever. Among others are :

1. Virus Infection

Virus infection is the most common cause of long term fever. Examples are:

• Fever that occurs in chickenpox patients is caused by the Varicella Zoster virus that is transmitted through direct contact with an infected person, such as touching his/her blisters, mucus or saliva. The virus can also be transmitted through sneezing and coughing of infected person.
• Fever that occurs in chikunguya patients is caused by the Cikunguya virus that is transmitted through the bite of Aedes Albopictus mosquito.
• Fever that occurs in patients with dengue fever is caused by the Dengue virus that is transmitted through the bite of Aedes Aegepty mosquitoe.
• Fever that occurs in swine flu patients is caused by the H1N1 virus and the H3N2 virus that are transmitted through sneezing and coughing of infected person. Transmission can also occur if a person touches directly the object contaminated by the virus.
• Fever that occurs in bird flu patients is caused by the H5N1 virus and the H7N9 virus that are transmitted through direct contact with infected birds However, H5N1 viruses do not spread easily among humans.
• Fever that occurs in Singapore flu (hand, foot and mouth disease) patients is caused by Enterovirus Coxsackievirus A16 that is transmitted through direct contact with mucus, saliva, blister fluid and feces of an infected person.

2. Bacterial Infection

A person infected with bacteria has early symptoms of mild fever that gradually becomes a long term fever. Some examples of bacterial infections are :

• Typhoid fever is caused by the Salmonella typhi bacteria that is transmitted through contaminated food and drink. Typhoid fever is common in areas where there is no hand-washing habit.
• Fever in patients with urinary tract infections (UTI) is mainly caused by Escherichia coli, a bacteria commonly found in the gastro intestinal tract, that enters the urinary tract through the urethra. Urinary tract infection is more common in women. It is because women have a shorter urethra so that bacteria can easily reach the bladder to multiply. In addition, the position of the vagina which is adjacent to the anus increases the likelihood of bacteria from the anal region entering the urinary tract.
• Fever in strep throat patients is caused by Streptococcus bacteria that is transmitted through the mucus and saliva of an infected person. Anyway, it’s good to know there are safe ways how to treat a throat infection while pregnant.
• Fever in diarrhea patients may be a symptom of infection by Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp., Shigella spp. and some strains of Escherichia coli. One of the main causes of diarrhea is lack of hygiene. For example, the habit of defecating in nature can contaminate ground water. If groundwater is not properly purified before being drunk by people, this can lead to the spread of diarrhea.

3. Parasitic Infections

Long term fever may be a symptom of a parasitic infection. Parasites are organisms that live on other organisms to survive. One type of parasite that is often found in humans is Helminths or also known as parasitic worms. There are various parasitic worms, among them are:

• Tapeworm, which can enter the human body if a person drinks water contaminated by its egg or larvae.
• Flukes, which can enter the human body in the same way as the tapeworm.
• Hookworms, which can enter the human body if a person with bare feet stomps on the ground or feces contaminated by their larvae. The larvae can penetrate the skin of the foot.
• Pinworms, which can enter the human body if a person accidentally touches their egg with his/her hand and then the hand is in contact with the mouth. Therefore, biting the nails is not a good habit. Fortunately, there are simple ways to eliminate nail biting habit.
• Trichinosis worms, which can enter the human body if a person eats meat contaminated by their larvae. Therefore the meat must be perfectly cooked to kill the larvae.

4. Malnutrition

Malnutrition is one of the most common causes of long term fever in children who have problems to consume nutritious foods. Usually they live in remote areas.

5. Sunlight

Continuous exposure to sunlight for a long time may increase body temperature. If the immune system is in bad condition, it may cause the body susceptible to catch a cold and experience fever at night. Too much exposure to sunlight can also cause sunburn. But you need no worry, there are fastest ways how to heal your skin after sunburn.

6. Drug Use

Every drug has side effects to watch out for. One of the side effects that need to be carefully considered is that chemicals from drugs can damage the body’s tissues to cause inflammation characterized by high fever.

7. Dehydration

Exhausting activities not only create fatigue, but may also cause dehydration. The effects of tired and dehydrated bodies are the decline of the immune system. This can lead to the emergence of fever at night.

8. Side Effects of Vaccination

It is normal that if a person is vaccinated then he/she will have a fever. Vaccination is the administration of a disease-causing microorganism that has been weakened to stimulate the immune system to gain immunity. The fever is the body’s natural response that indicates the vaccination works well.

9. Autoimmune Disease

Long term fever is one of the effects of autoimmune disease. The disease causes the body’s immune system to attack its own tissues. The disease also causes a decrease in the body’s immune system making it vulnerable to infection.

10. Congenital Disease

A person who has a history of congenital or genetic diseases is at risk of long term fever when his/her immune system decreases. For example, if the weather is too cold or he/she is late to eat, then he/she can easily have a fever.

11. Cancer

The presence of cancer cells in the body often causes long term fever, for example in patients with leukemia (cancer of the blood). The spread of cancer cells in body tissues can damage the functions of vital organs and as a defense the body will respond with an increase in body temperature continuously.

12. Allergic Reactions

In some people, an allergic reaction can be a cause of long term fever characterized by headache, rash on the skin, sneezing and runny nose. By the way, just in case you are allergic to certain foods, there are home remedies for food allergies.

Well, those are several causes of long term fever. Hopefully this article can be useful for you.