The key difference between fever and chills is that fever is a temporary rise in the body temperature, which is a part of the overall response from the immune system against infection, while chills are the sensation of feeling cold due to repeated expansion and contraction of muscles and constriction of vessels in the skin.
Fever and chills are two symptoms that often occur together. Fever is a mechanism of the immune system to kill pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. The body continuously increases body temperature in an infection state. As soon as the brain shifts its internal thermostat to a higher set point to fight off a pathogen, the rest of the body goes to work trying to produce extra heat to meet that higher temperature goal. Therefore, individuals are suddenly technically below their new ideal core temperature, so they feel chills.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Fever
3. What are Chills
4. Similarities – Fever and Chills
5. Fever vs Chills in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Fever vs Chills
What is Fever?
A fever is a temporary rise in the human body temperature. It is a response of the body’s immune system against infections. Most of the time, for children and adults, a fever may be an uncomfortable feeling. However, it usually isn’t a cause for concern. But for infants, even a low fever may mean there is a serious infection. Fever often goes away within a few days. A number of over-the-counter medications can lower fever. Moreover, people do not necessarily need to treat fever if it does not cause any discomfort for them.
The signs and symptoms of fever may include higher body temperature (100 F (37.8 C), sweating, chills and shivering, headache, muscle aches, loss of appetite, irritability, dehydration, and general weakness. Fever and causes for it can be diagnosed through physical examination, medical history, nasal and throat sample testing in order to detect respiratory infections, blood tests, and chest X-rays. Furthermore, treatments for fever include over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen, prescription medications for underlying conditions, and intravenous medications for infants.
What are Chills?
Chills are the sensation of feeling cold due to repeated expansion and contraction of muscles and constriction of vessels in the skin. The potential causes of chills include being cold, having hypothyroidism, infection (bacterial infections, parasitic infection like giardiasis, viral flu, sepsis), doing intensive exercises in the cold environment, anemia, cancers (leukemia), hangover, low blood sugar, menopausal night sweats, hot flashes, panic attack, anaesthesia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The signs and symptoms of chills include shivering or trembling, shaking, chattering teeth and goosebumps. Moreover, chills and causes for it can be diagnosed through questionnaires, physical examination, blood test, sputum culture, urinalysis, and chest X-ray. Furthermore, treatments for chills include layering clothes or getting to a warm place, drinking hot chocolate, coffee, or tea to raise body temperature, and treating underlying conditions like infections through antibiotics, antiviral medications, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen for flu.
What are the Similarities Between Fever and Chills?
- Fever and chills are two symptoms that often occur together.
- They are often connected to each other.
- Both symptoms can be due to underlying conditions like infections by bacteria and viruses.
- Both symptoms are generally not life-threatening and go away within days.
- They can be treated with over-the-counter medications.
What is the Difference Between Fever and Chills?
Fever is a temporary rise in the body temperature, which is a part of the overall response from the immune system of the body against infection, while chills are the sensation of feeling cold due to repeated expansion and contraction of muscles and constriction of vessels in the skin. This is the key difference between fever and chills.
Furthermore, fever is caused by infection due to pathogens like bacteria and viruses. On the other hand, chills are caused by being cold, having hypothyroidism, infection (bacterial infections, parasitic infection like giardiasis, viral flu, sepsis), doing intensive exercises in the cold environment, having anemia, cancers (leukemia), hangover, low blood sugar, menopausal night sweats, hot flashes, panic attacks, anaesthesia or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The following table summarizes the difference between fever and chills.
Summary – Fever vs Chills
F fever is a temporary rise in the body temperature, which is a part of the overall response from the immune system against infection, while chills are the sensation of feeling cold due to repeatedly expanding and contracting muscles and constricting vessels in the skin. This is the key difference between fever and chills.
Reference:
1. “Chills: Causes & Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic.
2. “Fever.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Depiction of a child suffering from Rheumatic Fever” By Myupchar.com (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 3.0” By Mikael Häggström, M.D – Own work (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia