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Fever

Fever is a frequent medical symptom that describes an increase in internal body temperature to levels that are above normal (37 degrees Celsius, 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

Fever is most accurately characterized as a temporary elevation in the body’s thermoregulatory set-point, which is usually by about 1-2 degrees Celsius.

In hospitals fever is daily recorded with fever charts.

The elevation in thermoregulatory set-point means that the previous "normal body temperature" is considered hypothermic, and effector mechanisms kick in.

The person who is developing the fever has a cold sensation, and an increase in heart rate, muscle tone and shivering attempt to counteract the perceived hypothermia, thereby reaching the new thermoregulatory set-point.

Note: The above text is excerpted from the Wikipedia article "Fever", which has been released under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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