A prolonged and persistent fever can be painful, debilitating and debilitating. While it may be caused by a viral infection, it often comes with symptoms such as headache, chills and, in severe cases, confusion or delirium. According to doctors, a fever is diagnosed when your body temperature rises slightly – between 98.7°F and 100.4°F (37.05°C and 38.0°C) – and lasts for more than 24 hours.

Persistent and long-term fever is usually defined as fever lasting longer than 10–14 days.

Experts say that if your fever doesn’t subside within 24 hours, it is better to consult a doctor and get checked for any underlying health condition that may need immediate action.

What is the reason for persistent fever?

In most cases, a rise in body temperature is a normal response to an infection, such as a cold or flu. However, experts say there may be many other less common causes of a persistent low-grade fever that only a doctor can diagnose. Some of these include:

respiratory infections

Your body temperature may rise to help kill the bacteria or virus causing the infection. Colds or flu are caused by viruses and typically cause a mild fever that lasts more than a few days. Some symptoms include a runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, frequent sneezing, cough, and fatigue

Additionally, viral pneumonia and bronchitis can cause mild fever.

urinary tract infections

Doctors say urinary tract infection or UTI – an infection caused by bacterial infection causes high fever, pain and burning while urinating, frequent urination and bloody or dark urine. Doctors can examine a urine sample under a microscope to diagnose a UTI.

Tension

If you’re under long-term and emotional stress, you may have persistent fever, known as psychogenic fever – which is most common in young people, and in people with conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.

According to doctors, fever-reducing medications such as acetaminophen do not work against fevers caused by stress. Instead, anti-anxiety medications are used to treat psychogenic fevers.

Tuberculosis

You may suffer from persistent fever due to the highly contagious tuberculosis disease, which is caused by a bacterium. Mycobacterium tuberculosisAccording to doctors, the bacteria can remain dormant in your body for years and not cause any symptoms, but when your immunity goes down, it becomes active, causing symptoms like these:

• coughing
• Unexplained fatigue
• High fever
• night sweats

thyroid

When your thyroid gland gets inflamed, you may get a mild fever in some cases. According to doctors, this condition, known as subacute thyroiditis, causes mild fever in some cases, along with severe muscle pain, fatigue, exhaustion and neck pain.

Ways to treat persistent mild fever

Fevers usually go away on their own, and some over-the-counter medications can help treat them, but sometimes you can get through it just by resting.

Doctors say that if you take medication, you should choose between acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen. For infants and babies younger than 3 months, talk to your doctor before giving them any medication. For children, acetaminophen and ibuprofen are generally safe to reduce fever. Children younger than 12 should avoid giving aspirin.

Also, doctors say you’re likely to sweat more when you have a fever, so you should replace those fluids by drinking. Apart from water, you can also drink milk, coconut water and fresh juices that help energize your immune system. However, be sure to stay away from caffeine – whether from soda, tea, coffee or energy drinks. Caffeine makes you urinate more, which can dehydrate you and hinder your recovery.

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