Can stress cause fever? A fever is a sign of disease in the body when it’s above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. A change in body temperature can be caused by stress. Symptoms of fever are usually feeling very hot, headache, chills, fatigue, muscle aches and loss of appetite. Stress can cause an increase in core body temperature, muscle tension which increases blood pressure.
However, there are times when it might be challenging to figure out whether an elevated core body temperature is due to diseases or stress. For example, people with chronic illnesses can have persistent low-grade fevers that don’t improve after being treated. Treatment of underlying conditions like cancer and infections like tuberculosis can help reduce fever but not always.
In addition, psychological stress can also cause an increase in core body temperature. In some cases, a continuous low-grade fever might be explained by fatigue and pain.
When unhappy or stressed, some persons with chronic disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory disease, and lupus develop a fever. This condition is called psychogenic fever. It can also happen in persons who haven’t displayed any signs of sadness or anxiety prior to getting psychological stress-induced hyperthermia as a symptom of their ailment.
This condition is often misunderstood as a sign of disease even though it’s not harmful and requires no treatment. However, a lack of understanding can increase stress levels among patients, making the condition worse for them.
Mental stress levels affect physical health in some cases. Chronically stressed people are more likely to acquire disorders like heart attacks, high blood pressure and diabetes. Stress-strain relations in some occupations show that work stress can lead to coronary heart disease.
People under chronic stress over a long period also tend to have higher core body temperatures, increased heart rate and lower skin temperature than usual, which might worsen their condition.
In some cases, low-grade fevers which are not harmful can be explained by fatigue and pain experienced by patients with chronic medical conditions. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases and lupus might experience psychogenic fever due to depression or stress. Treating the underlying illness or relieving stress among patients might reduce the fever, but not always.
Table of Contents
Can Stress Cause Fever – Clinical manifestation of Stress
Stress has different clinical manifestations which depend on the person and social context. For example, people under chronic stress for an extended period can experience higher core body temperature and increased heart rate than average, which might worsen their condition. However, there are cases when it might be challenging to figure out whether the elevated core body temperature is due to diseases or stress.
Physical symptoms of stress include
- Fatigue
- Abdominal pain
- Loss of appetite and
- Difficulty sleeping.
Emotional symptoms include anxiety or depression. Stress can also impact people in different social contexts depending on the environmental conditions they’re facing at the time.
Stress management is vital if an elevated core body temperature is due to stress so that the condition does not worsen.
Can Stress Cause Fever – How to detect if your fever is caused by stress
There are several tell-tale signs that stress may be the cause of fever. Physical symptoms such as headaches, abdominal pain, fatigue, and restlessness can often indicate that stress is the reason behind the elevated body temperature. It is important to note that not all physical symptoms accompanying fever are caused by stress, so it is essential to consult a physician if the fever remains for a significant amount of time. It could indicate a more serious problem, such as an infection or illness. One should also monitor stress levels throughout the day to determine whether there is a correlation between emotional stress and body temperature.
Stress from the physical pain from an injury can cause a fever. If someone is injured, even if it’s just a tiny cut, the body releases stress hormones in the physiological response to the pain. This can trigger a fever since it makes blood vessels widen and allows more heat to escape from the body, thus increasing body temperature. Chronic stress caused by financial difficulties or family issues also causes elevated temperatures. Patients suffering from chronic stress can also develop a psychogenic fever or a fever that emerges from the patient’s mental state and negative emotions.
Stressful events like arguments with family or friends can also cause a fever. If the person is already stressed and then goes through a stressful event, such as an argument or problem, their body releases more stress hormones that can trigger a fever response.
If stress is the cause of the fever, it should go away once the patient has addressed their problems and takes steps to reduce their stress levels. Once this happens, the fever should subside as well.
Patients with chronic stress or an underlying medical condition that causes elevated body temperature often have this type of fever occur sporadically throughout the year. This is because stress is not directly linked to an increased body temperature regularly like other conditions.
What is Psychogenic Fever?
Psychogenic fever is a condition where people have an increased body temperature, even though there is no underlying disease causing increased temperature. The most common cause of this condition is stress or emotional shock. This usually happens after stressful situations, such as bereavement or divorce proceedings, but it can also develop without any apparent reason.
What are the effects of stress on a fever?
Stress has been found to increase body temperature in patients with psychogenic fevers. In addition to this, when people with normal immune systems have been given small infectious doses, their bodies’ responses to raise their temperatures and fight infection is increased.
What causes stress to cause a fever?
The exact mechanisms behind how stress causes an increase in body temperature is not clear. Stress can cause an inflammatory response and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal responses, which may, in turn, lead to a rise in body temperature.
How can we treat a psychogenic fever?
One of the main treatments for this condition is giving medicines known as psychotropic drugs. These are thought to help by acting on serotonin neurotransmitter receptors in the brain stem, influencing the hypothalamic thermoregulatory area. The patient’s stress levels can also be reduced by relaxation therapy or counselling. Regular doses of antipyretic analgesics such as paracetamol can help to reduce fever symptoms.
What are the drugs used to treat a high fever?
There are many different types of drugs that can treat high fevers. The most typically given medications for fever reduction are antipyretic analgesics such as paracetamol and ibuprofen. Other choices include colchicine and aspirin, which are thought to reduce the effects of prostaglandins produced in response to high fevers. Corticosteroids are also often used to reduce inflammation, which reduces fever symptoms by dampening the immune system.
Can stress cause fever – A Summary
Stress can cause or contribute to a rise in body temperature, resulting in fever.
- Chronic stress caused by problems such as financial difficulties or family issues also causes elevated temperatures. A patient suffering from chronic stress and then goes through a stressful event, such as an argument or problem can also develop a psychogenic fever.
- Psychogenic fevers are triggered by stress and can occur without any other underlying medical conditions or reasons. Symptoms include a high temperature, even though the cause of the fever is emotional shock or stress. There is no known direct link between stress and a rise in body temperature on a regular basis other than during psychogenic fevers.
- The most common causes of psychogenic fevers are stress or emotional shock.
- Corticosteroids are often used to reduce inflammation, which reduces fever symptoms by dampening the immune system. Drugs such as paracetamol can also help to reduce fever symptoms.
- Stress greatly affects the temperature in patients with psychogenic fevers, and in healthy people when given small doses of infectious diseases.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
What causes low-grade fevers?
The leading cause of low-grade fevers is an infection, such as flu or pneumonia. These cause an increase in body temperature by increasing the amount of proinflammatory cytokines, which are molecules that promote fever in response to infection. Other causes include autoimmune diseases, chronic stress and cancers.
What are the different signs of a fever?
Many different signals can indicate whether or not somebody has a fever. A common sign is raised body temperature – this could be noticed by a person’s temperature being higher than the average temperature given for that time of day. For example, someone’s body temperature might usually be at 37°C in the morning and 38°C in the evening, but during a fever, this could reach 39°C or 40°C. Other common signs include feeling cold or hot or shivering or sweating. In addition to this, a fever can cause the patient to feel fatigued and have headaches.
What are the causes of persistent low-grade fevers?
Persistent low-grade fevers can occur due to autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as diabetes and an underactive thyroid gland. People who have persistent low-grade fevers often don’t show many other common symptoms apart from feeling generally unwell and having a slightly raised temperature.
How common is psychogenic fever?
Psychogenic fever is a relatively rare condition that affects less than 1% of people admitted to hospital. People with psychogenic or stress-induced fevers often have another underlying disorder or chronic stress, which can be an important factor in diagnosing the condition.
How long does psychogenic fever last?
A person can have a psychogenic fever for days or months. The length of time that a person has this type of fever largely depends on the severity and nature of their underlying disease.
What is Takakazu Oka’s body temperature?
Takakazu Oka’s body temperature is recorded in his paper as 38°C. He states that when he deliberately induced an emotional acute stress response in his patients, their body temperature increased by 1.0 to 4.2°C after 2 minutes. This finding was fascinating because it shows that people can change core body temperature due to psychological stress through changes in the autonomic nervous system (ANS).
How is someone with a psychogenic fever diagnosed?
To diagnose psychogenic fever, doctors ask the patient about their symptoms and conduct medical examinations. Blood tests, imaging scans and other investigations may be used to check for other conditions that could cause similar symptoms.
How high can a psychogenic fever go?
In Takakazu Oka’s study, body temperatures increased by 1.0 to 4.2°C after 2 minutes of stress exposure in patients. After 10 minutes, the average increase was 1.4°C.
