# How effective is fever?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-effective-is-fever/176595>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 21, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-effective-is-fever/176595 "2003-05-21T17:24:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-effective-is-fever/176595/1 "2003-05-21T17:24:31Z")

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Sitting here with about a +2 deg (F) fever, I had some questions about body temperature and fevers. Forgive me if I sound, well, feverish.

How effective is fever anyway? What sort of infections does it actually help, and are there illnesses that it’s actually harmful (for the body, i.e. beneficial to the sickness)?

How does the body know ‘how much’ fever to set? It’s been rare (in my adult life) to have a fever more than 3û above my normal temperature. Does it just keep setting it higher until the infection’s done or can it set the amount of fever based on the type of infection?

Finally, as an aside – does anyone know the statistical variations in human temperature? I know mine’s usually around 97 and a half, which is below average, but I wonder what the range runs to.

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**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2003, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-effective-is-fever/176595/2 "2003-05-23T04:45:07Z")

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Well, the fever’s gone, but I still got … the fever, uh, for knowledge? Anyone?

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**Author:** ![cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cynic)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2003, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-effective-is-fever/176595/3 "2003-05-23T05:19:34Z")

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Fevers appear to be an evolutionary adaptation designed to combat pathogens, at least in some cases. Fevers fight infection through two mechanisms: 1) the elevated temperature makes it harder for bacteria survive and reproduce and 2) it increases the rate at which your body manufactures white blood cells.

[http://clawww.lmu.edu/faculty/tshanahan/DarMed.html](http://clawww.lmu.edu/faculty/tshanahan/DarMed.html)

> [@](#):
>
> Closer to home, a study of humans suggested that individuals suffering from a flu-induced fever recovered more quickly from the flu than individuals who took fever-reducing medications. One consequence of this finding is that parents who give fever-reducing medications to their children, while decreasing the discomfort of the child, may actually be inhibiting the child’s body from most effectively fighting the infection.

None of the above suggests that it would be prudent for anyone to let a fever “run its course” without medical supervision, as untreated fevers can be fatal.