{"id":3687,"date":"2024-05-24T08:59:05","date_gmt":"2024-05-24T08:59:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/selitys.fi\/is-38-5-degrees-a-fever-in-an-adult\/"},"modified":"2024-05-24T08:59:05","modified_gmt":"2024-05-24T08:59:05","slug":"is-38-5-degrees-a-fever-in-an-adult","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/selitys.fi\/en\/is-38-5-degrees-a-fever-in-an-adult\/","title":{"rendered":"Is 38.5 degrees a fever in an adult?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Fever is a common symptom that can be caused by many different reasons, such as infections, inflammations or other diseases. In adults, fever is usually defined as a body temperature above 37.5-38.0 degrees. But what does it mean if an adult has a fever of 38.5 degrees? Is that a cause for concern? In this article, we will discuss this question in more detail.<\/p>\n<h2>What is fever?<\/h2>\n<p>Fever is the body&#8217;s natural reaction to help fight infections. It is a sign that the immune system is working and trying to fight pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. During a fever, the body temperature rises, which makes the environment unfavorable for many pathogens.<\/p>\n<h2>Definition of fever in adults<\/h2>\n<p>In adults, fever is usually defined as follows:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Low-grade fever:<\/b> 37.5-38.0 degrees<\/li>\n<li><b>Moderate fever:<\/b> 38.1-39.0 degrees<\/li>\n<li><b>High fever:<\/b> over 39.0 degrees<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A fever of 38.5 degrees in an adult therefore belongs to the moderate fever category. This is not necessarily a reason to panic, but it can be a sign that there is an infection or inflammation in the body.<\/p>\n<h2>When to see a doctor?<\/h2>\n<p>Although a fever of 38.5 degrees is usually not dangerous, there are some situations in which you should see a doctor:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>The fever lasts more than three days.<\/li>\n<li>Fever is accompanied by other serious symptoms, such as chest pain, breathing difficulties, severe headache, stiff neck or rash.<\/li>\n<li>You are pregnant or have a chronic illness such as diabetes or heart disease.<\/li>\n<li>You have recently traveled to an area where serious infections such as malaria or dengue have occurred.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Fever treatment<\/h2>\n<p>The treatment of fever usually includes rest, adequate hydration and, if necessary, the use of fever-reducing medicines such as paracetamol or ibuprofen. It is also important to monitor body temperature regularly and take care of general well-being.<\/p>\n<h2>Summary<\/h2>\n<p>A fever of 38.5 degrees in an adult is a moderate fever, which can be a sign of infection or inflammation. Although it is usually not dangerous, it is important to monitor the symptoms and see a doctor if necessary. Treatment for fever includes rest, hydration and, if necessary, fever-reducing medicines.<\/p>\n<p>You can read more information about fever and its treatment, for example, at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.terveyskirjasto.fi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Terveyskirjasto<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mayo.edu \" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">From the Mayo Clinic<\/a> site.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fever is a common symptom that can be caused by many different reasons, such as infections, inflammations or other diseases. In adults, fever is usually defined as a body temperature above 37.5-38.0 degrees. But what does it mean if an adult has a fever of 38.5 degrees? Is that a cause for concern? In this&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2107,2024],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health-questions","category-medicine-questions"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Is 38.5 degrees a fever in an adult? | Selitys.fi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/selitys.fi\/en\/is-38-5-degrees-a-fever-in-an-adult\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is 38.5 degrees a fever in an adult? | Selitys.fi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Fever is a common symptom that can be caused by many different reasons, such as infections, inflammations or other diseases. 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