Is 'psychogenic fever' the cause of 'stress'?

 

In psychogenic fever, you may see an increase in body temperature even though there are no signs of a cold or other illness. The triggers are psychological stress such as "meeting people" or "extremely nervous", or chronic stress caused by fatigue from work or caregivers. This time, we will explain in detail the characteristics, causes, and treatment of psychogenic fever caused by stress.

What is psychogenic fever?

Psychogenic fever is also called 'functional hyperthermia'. Unlike fever caused by a cold, it is characterized by 'no symptoms other than fever', 'it is not bad anywhere, even if tested in a hospital', and 'the painkiller does not work'. In addition, there are two types of psychogenic fever: a temporary high fever due to psychological stress, and a low-grade fever that persists under chronic stress.

What is the difference between common fever and psychogenic fever?

In the case of fever caused by an infectious disease such as a cold or inflammation, the body temperature rises through substances released from the body, such as 'inflammatory cytokines' and 'prostaglandins'. This is one of the defense reactions that activates the immune function by raising the body temperature and protects the body from bacteria and viruses. However, in the case of psychogenic fever, the body temperature rises without going through inflammatory cytokines or prostaglandins. Therefore, most of the psychogenic fevers do not accompany symptoms other than fever, such as drowsiness, drowsiness, and joint pain, which can be seen in normal fever. It is also one of the features that the fever does not go down even if you take antipyretics.

Psychogenic fever symptoms

There are two types of psychogenic fever: the 'acute type', in which a high fever is temporarily caused by psychological stress, and the 'chronic type', in which a low fever lasts for several months due to chronic stress. Although each symptom manifests differently, the lack of symptoms such as drowsiness, drowsiness, loss of appetite, muscle pain, and joint pain are the same as those of general fever. Also, symptom improvement (fever drop) by taking antipyretic drugs was not seen in either type.

Acute psychogenic fever symptoms

In acute psychogenic fever, a rapid increase in body temperature (41°C) occurs on the eve of an exam, on the eve of surgery, or before a dental examination due to psychological stress. However, it is characterized by a short fever period and a return to flat fever within 24 hours at most. Acute psychogenic fever is mainly seen in children and young people.

Chronic psychogenic fever symptoms

A characteristic of chronic psychogenic fever is that a low-grade fever of 37~38℃ persists for more than several months under chronic stress caused by work or nursing. Even after being released from stress, there are many cases where people do not return to peace, and sometimes they do not even realize that they have a higher fever. Chronic psychogenic fever is mainly seen in adults.

Effect of antipyretics

Antipyretics have the effect of suppressing the increase in body temperature and inflammation caused by the production of inflammatory cytokines and prostaglandins. However, since these substances are not involved in the rise in body temperature in psychogenic fever, the fever does not drop even if you take antipyretics.

Causes of psychogenic fever

The direct causes of psychogenic fever are psychological stress and chronic stress. In many cases, the cause of psychological stress is clear, and specifically, it includes going to school, exams, the day of surgery, visiting or arguing with someone you don't like. On the other hand, in chronic stress, there is a lot of physical and mental exhaustion due to bullying, parental discord, fatigue from work or caring, etc., and moreover, there are cases where it is accompanied by a depressed state or unexpected anxiety.

Why does stress raise body temperature?

The detailed mechanism of psychogenic fever has not yet been elucidated. However, the human body is originally equipped with a structure that protects the body by raising the body temperature when attacked from the outside. This structure is believed to be one of the factors leading to psychogenic fever.

Examination subjects for psychogenic fever

Because there are many diseases that cause fever, it is important to first consult with the nearest internal medicine clinic to be thoroughly investigated whether or not you have a fever-related disease. In addition, if a psychogenic fever is suspected as a symptom, consult a psychiatric internal medicine department or a psychiatric department.

Psychogenic fever test

For psychogenic fever, blood tests, CT scans, and X-ray tests are performed for the first time to differentiate it from other diseases that cause fever. In addition, as an active diagnosis of psychogenic fever, we confirm that 'the antipyretic drug is invalid' or 'the existence of a stressful situation and an increase in body temperature due to it are recognized'.

psychogenic fever treatment

Psychogenic fever aims to improve symptoms while treating the following:

• life map
• drug therapy
• self-reliance training
• psychotherapy
• life map

What kind of content does the life guidance guide specifically?

In addition to improving basic lifestyle habits such as “regulating the rhythm of life” and “getting plenty of rest,” we provide guidance on how to perform activities during a fever and standards for rest.

drug therapy

In psychogenic fever drug therapy, symptoms are improved using drugs that relieve anxiety or stress or inhibit the action of the sympathetic nervous system. Specific drugs include antidepressants, serotonin receptor antagonists, and autonomic modulators.

self-reliance training

In the psychogenic fever self-reliance training method, training is carried out to balance the autonomic nerves while using breathing techniques, etc. This training can be expected to have the effect of relieving mental and physical fatigue, calming an irritated mind, and relieving physical and mental pain.

psychotherapy

Psychotherapy provides counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy for the purpose of 'reducing daily stress' or 'restoring the mind and body to a state that can withstand stress'. This treatment is performed under the supervision of a certified psychologist or clinical psychologist.

Sex difference, age difference, etc. of psychogenic fever

Psychogenic fever is a disease that affects all age groups, but the acute type with transient high fever is more common in children or adolescents, and the chronic type with persistent low fever is seen in adults. There are currently no data indicating gender differences.

organize

Psychogenic fever is one of the psychosomatic diseases in which the body temperature rises due to stress. There are two types: the 'acute type', in which a high temperature temporarily becomes high due to psychological stress, and the 'chronic type', in which a mild fever that is slightly higher than the normal fever persists in a situation where chronic stress continues. The acute type has a short fever period and often returns to a flat fever within 24 hours, whereas the chronic type has a mild fever that lasts for several months and symptoms persist even after being relieved from stress. However, both types lack symptoms other than fever, and the feature is that fever does not go away even when taking antipyretic drugs. If there is no other disease accompanied by fever and if psychogenic fever is suspected as a symptom, seek medical attention from a psychiatrist or psychiatrist.