A fever is a temporary increase in your body temperature, and it’s often caused by illness. A rectal, ear, or temporal artery (forehead) temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher generally indicates a fever, according to the Mayo Clinic. Fevers usually subside within a few days. If you have a fever, you may also experience the following symptoms:
- Chills and shivering
- Sweating
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Loss of appetite
- Irritability
- Dehydration
- General weakness
For adults, a body temperature of 103 degrees F or higher can be a cause for concern and warrants a call to your doctor, according to the Mayo Clinic. Also call your doctor if, along with a fever, you have a severe headache, an unusual skin rash, unusual sensitivity to bright light, stiff neck and pain when you bend your head forward, mental confusion, persistent vomiting, difficulty breathing or chest pain, abdominal pain or pain when urinating, or convulsions or seizures.
For infants and toddlers, a temperature that is only slightly higher than usual could be a sign of a serious infection, according to the Mayo Clinic. Call your doctor if your child is age 3 months or younger and has a rectal temperature of 100.4 degrees F or higher; between ages 3 and 6 months and has a rectal temperature up to 102 degrees F and seems atypically irritable, lethargic, or uncomfortable, or has a temperature higher than 102 degrees F; or between ages 6 and 24 months and has a rectal temperature higher than 102 degrees F that lasts longer than one day.
If your child is age 2 or older, call your doctor if the fever lasts longer than three days or if your child is generally getting worse, unusually less active, or is drinking and urinating less frequently.
Young children ages 6 months to 5 years might have febrile seizures with a high body temperature, which usually involve loss of consciousness and shaking of limbs on both sides of the body, according to the Mayo Clinic. Call for emergency medical care if a seizure lasts longer than five minutes or if the seizure is associated with vomiting, a stiff neck, excessive sleepiness, or difficulty breathing. Always take your child to the doctor as soon as possible after their first seizure to figure out what caused it.
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