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World health
Thermometers can be used to measure a person’s temperature, but it is possible to suspect a fever without a thermometer. This is because there are common symptoms associated with fever, such as body aches, chills, flushed skin, sweating, or dehydration.
How to check if you have a fever without a thermometer?
Knowing the symptoms associated with fever is the best way to determine if you have a fever when you cannot take your temperature.
For example, people with a fever often experience:
Body aches, weakness, and headaches: These pains are often accompanied by viruses such as influenza or colds, as a result of inflammation resulting from the body’s immune response to the virus.
Chills – Many people with a fever have chills or chills, even when the temperature rises. This is because the body is trying to raise the temperature to treat the cause of the fever. People who have chills due to fever will still feel warm to the touch and should wear light clothing.
Redness of the cheeks: Many people with a fever experience redness of the cheeks. This occurs when the body opens the blood vessels, a process known as vasodilation, which increases blood flow to the skin and causes redness.
Sweating and dehydration: Many people with a fever experience sweating, which is the body’s attempt to regulate its temperature and cool itself, but this can be dangerous if you don’t drink enough water.
“With a high temperature, we can lose a lot of fluid through sweat,” says Professor Gordana Haber. And if you think you have a fever, look for signs of dehydration, such as dry mouth, extreme thirst, or confusion.
Temperature change sensation: If you already have these common symptoms of fever, you can also take your temperature based on how you feel.
David Cutler, director of the Santa Monica Family Physicians Medical Group, says fever can make people feel hot or cold. You may feel flushed (with pink skin) or chills, which indicate that your body is trying to lower its temperature.
And when it comes to diagnosing fever without a thermometer, people often touch their foreheads. But it won’t help, because your whole body feels the heat. However, having someone else touch your forehead can be an effective way to detect a fever without a thermometer, Haber says, especially if you have those other symptoms.
For this procedure to be most effective, someone should touch their forehead, then their own, so they can better feel the differences in temperature. Of course, this practice is not as effective as using a thermometer to obtain temperature readings.
“Diagnosing a temperature by touch gives you a qualitative answer, not a quantitative answer,” says Haber.
When to seek medical attention for fever symptoms:
In general, it is important to monitor the symptoms and severity of fever, rather than the specific temperature a person experiences.
Children usually have a high fever, but they behave normally. In this situation, Cutler says, they likely won’t need medical attention.
However, a person experiencing severe symptoms such as extreme confusion or shortness of breath should seek medical attention even if they have a low-grade fever.
People who have shortness of breath, a rash or fever over 38 ° C should contact their doctor.
