Viral Fever Symptoms: Causes & Diagnosis

Viral fever is a term that is used to describe a high body temperature accompanied by other symptoms such as tiredness, nausea, chills and body pain. Fevers are a general sign that a body is fighting against some bacterial or viral infection. Viral fever is caused as a result of an underlying viral illness. The viral fever symptoms generally vary drastically depending upon the cause. 

• It is a contagious disease that is caused by an underlying viral infection.
• The fever can transfer from one person to another by direct contact with the body fluid of the infected person.
• As a result of weak immunity, viral fever is most commonly observed in young children and elderly people.
• The symptoms of viral fever can also include skin rash and headaches. 

Key Terms: Viral Fever, Viral Fever Symptoms, infection, diseases, fevers, nausea, body pain

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Viral Fever Symptoms

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Medically, a person with a body temperature of more than 37 degrees Celsius is known to have a fever. Some of the common symptoms of viral fever include - 

• Headache is a familiar and irritating pain in the head, which is the most common symptom of viral fever. 
• Sore Throat leads to pain that can occur with or without swallowing. It is caused due to underlying diseases.
• A burning sensation in the eyes.
• Muscle pain or Body pain 
• Diarrhea
• Dizziness or feeling chills. 
• Cough
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Runny or blocked nose
• Vomiting

The patient can also feel chills with sweating, and dehydration, and can even lose their appetite. Generally, viral fever is harmless, but the severity of it ultimately depends on the cause.

Viral Fever Symptoms

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Viral Fever Symptoms in Kids

A child suffering from viral fever can experience the following symptoms - 

• They might have a blocked or runny nose with red and watery eyes.
• They might feel lethargic.
• The child can have rashes all over their body.
• They can have a sore throat with an increased body temperature.

Viral Fever Symptoms in Adults

Viral Fever is common in adults and the viral fever symptoms are - 

• They can experience nasal and chest congestion.
• They might suffer from high fever with sweating, chills and body pain.
• The adult can also experience vomiting, weakness, and skin rashes.

Viral Fever Signs

• High fever
• Fever occurring at regular intervals
• Fever with chills 
• Fever going for a long period

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Causes of Viral Fever

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The main cause of viral fever is a low immunity of the body against microbes. Microbes infect the body to make their colonies. 

• Our white blood cells called macrophages produce pyrogen to fight the microbes.
• The pyrogen then will flow in the bloodstream to reach the hypothalamus in our brain
• The pyrogen causes an increase in the body temperature.
• Interleukin-1 is a common pyrogen. 

If a healthy person eats or drinks a virally infected food item, or gets bitten by an animal they may suffer from viral fever. A person can also get viral fever if they receive an infected person’s blood.

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Diagnosis of Viral Fever

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Viral and bacterial infections both often have similar symptoms. The diagnosis of viral fever starts with a doctor ruling out a bacterial infection. It is done by considering the symptoms of the infected person, and their medical history, as well as taking any samples required in order to test for bacteria.

For instance, If one has a sore throat, the doctor might swab their throat to test for bacteria. If the sample is negative, the person most probably has a viral infection.

Certain markers such as white blood cell count can also be checked in case of a viral infection by taking a blood sample or checking other body fluids.

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Treatment of Viral Fever

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In most of the cases, viral fevers do not require any specific kind of treatment. Unlike bacterial infections, viral fevers do not respond to antibiotics.

Instead, their treatment focuses on providing relief from the symptoms of viral infection. Some common treatment measures include - 

• Taking over the counter medicines to counter fever and its symptoms such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen 
• Drinking plenty of fluids to keep the body hydrated and replenish the fluids that were lost during sweating.
• Taking antiviral medications
• Taking rest as much as possible

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Things to Remember

• Fevers are a sign that the body is fighting a bacterial or viral infection. 
• A viral fever is caused by an underlying viral illness.
• The symptoms of viral fever include chills, dehydration, headache, weakness, and muscle aches.
• Viral fever is mainly caused by infected bodily fluids, inhalation of infected droplets, and bites.
• The treatment of viral fevers includes taking over the counter medicines to treat the symptoms.
• Most viral fevers are treated on their own within a day or two and can be tackled by keeping one hydrated and resting. 

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Previous Years Questions

1. The infectious stage of Plasmodium that enters the human body… [NEET 2020]
2. In higher vertebrates, the immune system can distinguish….[NEET 2016]
3. In which disease does mosquito transmitted.. [NEET 2018]
4. A person likely to develop tetanus is immunized by…. [NEET 2009]
5. Antibodies in our body are complex.. [NEET 2006]
6. Antigens are present… [NEET 1995]
7. Which of the following is a pair of viral diseases?...[NEET 2009]
8. A person suffering from a disease caused by Plasmodium… [NEET 2010]
9. Cancerous cells can easily be destroyed by… [NEET 2002]
10. Cancer cells are more easily damaged by radiation… [NEET 2004]
11. Antivenom injection contains preformed antibodies…. [NEET 2016]
12. Carcinoma refers to… [NEET 2003]
13. Cell-mediated immunity in the human body… [NEET 2013]
14. Christmas disease is another name for… [NEET 2003]
15. Cirrhosis of the liver is caused by the chronic...[NEET 2012]