Fever Flashcards
(159 cards)
What is fever?
Elevated core temperature often as part of a defensive mechanism against invasion of microorganisms recognised as pathogenic by the host
What % of paediatric admissions are due to fever?
30%
How does termperature regulation work?
Heat sensitive receptors in skin and within hypothalamus are sensitive to changes inblood temperature
Signal frequency is increased if temperature increases above 37.1, increasing the signal which inhibits sympathetic stimulation causing sweating and vasodilation
Signal frequency is decreased if temperature drops below 37.1, preventing inhibition of the SNS and causing vasoconstriction, piloerection, shivering, behavioural changes.
Effects of a drop in blood temperature?
Decreased inhibition of the SNS:
- piloerection
- shivering
- vasoconstriction
- behavioural changes
- NA release
- TSH release
Pathophysiology of fever?
Exogenous pyrogen e.g. LPS
Stimulates release of endogenous pyrogens by MACROPHAGES and neutrophils, such as IL-1, IL-6, IFN-Y, TNF-alpha
As well as initiating inflammation, these cross the BBB and cause upregulation of COX2 enzyme which increases PGE2 via the arachidonic acid pathway.
PGE2 acts at the PGER3 in the preoptic area of the hypothalamus raising cAMP and causing sympathetic output.
PGE2 raises the set temperature until PGE2 is no longer present
How do NSAIDs work and how do they cause stomach ulcers?
Inhibit COX2 to reduce the inflammatory effects of PGE2 and to reduce the raising of the hypothalamic set temperature
Also inhibit COX1 which reduces basal PGE2 production which usually has a protective effect
What is the primary cytokine to best correlate with fever?
IL-6
What cytokine is an endogenous antipyretic factor?
IL-10
Which other endogenous antipyretic facotrs are there?
glucocorticoids e.g. cortisol
What resets the thermostat?
PGE2 (and cAMP)
How does malignancy cause fever?
Direct production of TNF-a, IL-1 and IL-6 by the tumour
or
Macrophage production of TNF-a, IL-1, IL-6, in response to the tumour
Describe the APR
Endogenous pyrogens are produced by macrophages and neutrophils in response to injury or infection (IL-1, IL-6, IFN-y, TNF-a)
These cause the liver to produce CRP, SAA, fibrinogen, complement factor (up to several hundred times their basal concentration)
CRP = opsonin activation SAA = attracts leukocytes to site fibrinogen = coagulation factor aids in trapping microbes in blood clots CF = complement activation
What is raised ESR and what causes it?
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate; RBCs fall faster
Due to rouleaux formation
Due to fibrinogen (acute phase response)
What stimulates leukocytosis, and what is it?
IL-1 and TNF-a
First mechanism = release of cells from post-mitotic reserve pool in bone marrow = more immature cells (left shift)
Second = CSFs stimulate proliferation of precursor cells in bone marrow e.g. macrophage CSF
Why is fever potentially good?
IL-1 is critical for initation of innate immune system
Its evolutionarily conserved
It interfers with growth and virlence of pathogens (which grow best at normal body temp)
Small temperature elevations enhance immune function
What are the four types of fever and their example causes?
Remittent - Endocarditis, typhoid
Intermittent - malaria
Sustained - Pneumonia, UTI
Relapsing - tick-borne
What causes a fever which is always elevated but keeps spiking, and what type of fever is it?
Remittent fever
Endocarditis, typhoid fever
What causes a normal temp to keep spiking intermittently, within hours?
Intermittent fever
Malaria
Fever is always high, what’s it called and examples?
Sustained
UTI, pneumonia
Fever is low for a few days then spikes a while then low a few days
Relapsing
Tick borne disease
What are the four phases of fever?
Prodromal: “flu-like symptoms”, non specific
Chill: feeling cold, shivering etc as temperature is rising toward new set point e.g. vasoconstriction, piloerection, shivering, goose bumps, behavioural changes, feeling warm and shivering then stops.
Flush: cutaneous vasodilation causes red, warm and dry skin
Defervescence: sweating
What are rigors, and common cause?
Shivering to try to increase temperature
UTI
Night sweats common causee
Lymphoma, TB
Headache is due to? Red flag for? Also though?
Vasodilatation of cerebral vessels
Red flag for meningitis
Also common in non-specific fevers though