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Revision as of 20:09, 12 June 2015

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Prashanth Saddala M.B.B.S

Rigor

Overview

Considerations

What are the causes?

Diagnosis

When to seek urgent medical care?

Treatment options

Rigor On the Web

Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov

Images of Rigor

Videos on Rigor

FDA on Rigor

CDC on Rigor

Rigor in the news

Blogs on Rigor

Directions to Hospitals Treating Rigor

Risk calculators and risk factors for Rigor

For the WikiDoc page for this topic, click here.

Synonyms and keywords: Shaking chills; shivering.

Overview

Chills refers to feeling cold after an exposure to a cold environment. The word can also refer to an episode of shivering, accompanied by paleness and feeling cold.

What are the considerations of Rigor?

Goose bumps are associated with a feeling of chilliness but are not necessarily associated with chills or fevers. Goose bumps raise the hairs on the body to form a layer of insulation.

Chills may occur at the beginning of an infection and are usually associated with a fever. Chills are caused by rapid muscle contraction and relaxation, and are the body's way of generating heat when it feels that it is cold. Chills often predict the coming of a fever, or an increase in the body's core temperature.

Chills may also represent a very significant and consistent finding in certain diseases such as malaria.

Chills are common in young children. Children tend, in general, to develop higher fevers than adults. Even minor illness may produce high fevers in young children.

Infants tend not to develop obvious chills, but any fever in an infant 6 months or younger should be reported to a health care provider. Fevers in infants 6 months to 1 year should also be reported unless the parent is absolutely certain of its cause.

What causes Rigor?

Diagnosis

The health care provider will take your medical history and perform a physical examination.

Medical history questions may include:

  • Is it only a cold feeling?
  • Are you actually shaking ?
  • What has been the highest body temperature connected with the chills?
  • Did the chills happen only once, or are there many separate occurrences (episodic)?
  • How long does each attack last (for how many hours)?
  • Did chills occur within 4 - 6 hours after exposure to something that you or your child are allergic to?
  • Did they begin suddenly?
  • Do they occur repeatedly? How often (how many days between episodes of chills)?
  • What other symptoms are present?

The physical examination may include emphasis on the skin, eyes, ears, nose, throat, neck, chest, and abdomen. Body temperature will likely be checked.

Diagnostic tests that may be performed include the following:

When to seek urgent medical care?

Infants tend not to develop obvious chills, but any fever in an infant 6 months or younger should be reported to a health care provider. Fevers in infants 6 months to 1 year should also be reported unless the parent is absolutely certain of its cause.

Treatment options

Treatment depends on how long the chills and accompanying symptoms (especially fever) have lasted.

Home Care

Fever (which can accompany chills) is the body's natural response to a variety of conditions, such as infection. If the fever is mild (102 degrees Fahrenheit or less) with no side effects, no professional treatment is required. Drink lots of fluids and get plenty of rest.

Evaporation cools the skin and thereby reduces body temperature. Sponging with comfortably warm water (about 70 degrees Fahrenheit) may help in reducing a fever. Cold water, however, is uncomfortable, and may increase the fever because it can trigger chills.

Medications such as acetaminophen are effective for fighting a fever and chills.

Do not bundle up in blankets if you have a high temperature. This will only cause the fever to rise.

Home Care for a Child

If the child's temperature is over 102 degrees Fahrenheit, or if the child is uncomfortable, give pain-relieving tablets or liquid. Non-aspirin containing pain-relievers such as acetaminophen are preferred. Ibuprofen may also be used. Follow the recommended dosage on the package label.

Children who have symptoms of a viral infection should not be given aspirin because of the risk of Reye syndrome.

If the child's temperature is over 103.5 degrees Fahrenheit 1 to 2 hours after giving medication for fever, place the child in a tub of lukewarm water up to the navel. Rub a wet washcloth or towel over the child's body for 20 minutes or for as long as can be tolerated. Add warm water as needed to keep the water temperature constant and keep the child from shivering. Pat (don't rub) the child dry with a towel.

  • Dress the child in light clothing, provide liquids, and keep the room cool but not uncomfortable.
  • Don't use ice water or rubbing alcohol to reduce a child's temperature. These can cause shock.
  • Don't bundle a feverish child in blankets.
  • Don't wake a sleeping child to give medication or take a temperature -- sleep is more important.

Source

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003091.htm

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