Table of contents:
- Identify the causes of fever
- The goal of the body to have a fever
- Boost the immune system (immune)
- Kills germs
- If you don't have a fever, it is even more dangerous
When you have a fever, it can be very uncomfortable. You can't do your usual activities. Even for resting, the body is not feeling well. Naturally, almost everyone hates fever. Eits, wait a minute. Although a fever may irritate you, it seems that a fever is a beneficial and indeed important bodily reaction. For that, you must learn the ins and outs of the causes of fever and what it does for the body.
Identify the causes of fever
Fever is characterized by symptoms such as hot flashes and chills. Fever occurs due to an inflammatory process throughout the body. This can happen, for example, when the body is fighting an infection. As a result of this inflammatory process, special chemical compounds will be released and carried by the bloodstream to the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is a structure in the brain that regulates body temperature.
In the hypothalamus, these chemical compounds will make the body temperature higher (heat). Because of this compound, the body mistakenly thinks that the normal body temperature is actually hot. This is what causes fever.
The goal of the body to have a fever
The main cause of fever is infection. However, fever itself is not something you need to be afraid of. The reason is, fever is actually very useful to protect your body. How come, huh? This is what happens to your body when you have a fever.
Boost the immune system (immune)
The heat produced by the body will speed up metabolism. Increased body metabolism will lead to a more active immune system.
Therefore, the immune system detects and kills viruses and bacteria that cause disease more quickly. In addition, the production of white blood cells that function as the body's immune system will also increase during fever.
Kills germs
Iron levels in the blood will also decrease when you have a fever. Fever will increase the production of the hormone hepsidin in the liver which causes reduced iron in the bloodstream. Because viral or bacterial survival depends on iron, a lack of iron can cause the virus or bacteria to decline.
Plus, high body temperature can also kill several types of germs that cannot stand heat. Some of the enzymes and toxins produced by germs can also be damaged by high body temperature.
If you don't have a fever, it is even more dangerous
Fever itself is not a disease, but a symptom of a disease. Now, if you don't have a fever, you may not even realize that your body is being attacked. As a result, the disease is not detected so that it cannot be treated early.
Not to mention, the absence of a fever means that the body does not fight the germs that cause the infection to its full potential.
No fever when the body is attacked also indicates a weak immune system. Several things can cause the body's system to weaken, such as malnutrition, taking certain drugs, or a disease that causes a decrease in immune system function.
In children and the elderly (elderly), infection also sometimes does not cause fever symptoms because the immune system is weaker than adults.
