Fever Headaches in Adults and Children

Fever headaches aren’t something people should take lightly, especially if these symptoms present themselves in children. This could be a sign that there is an underlying disease or infection that may or may not be life-threatening. Either way, it’s always better to play it safe and get help if these symptoms are present in both adults and children.

What are the Causes of Fever Headaches?

Fever and headaches are symptoms and not illnesses in themselves. People who experience these symptoms tend to treat the symptom or ignore it instead of seeing a doctor to determine what caused it. Most of the time the fever accompanied by headaches are symptoms of a viral or bacterial infection. These infections may be harmless, but they could be dangerous and life-threatening as well. The illnesses commonly associated with these symptoms are the common cold, influenza, strep throat, typhoid fever, encephalitis, and meningitis to name a few. While some of these illnesses are common, the others including bacterial or viral meningitis, encephalitis and typhoid fever can lead to serious complications or even death when left untreated. If taking pain and fever medications do nothing to alleviate the symptoms, then it’s important to know which infection is causing the symptoms in order to treat it correctly.

Experiencing fever combined with headaches does not necessarily mean one has acquired a deadly disease, but as the saying goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry. If you are experiencing symptoms like headaches that go with a high or low grade fever, it’s best to consult a doctor to get a proper diagnosis.

Fever Headaches in Children

It’s common for children to run a temperature every now and then, but headaches are seldom present when this happens. While it’s not common, it’s not unusual either. Fever and headaches can occur side by side when the child has contracted a cold, the flu, or some form of infection of the upper respiratory tract. When this happens, the child may also experience congestion, nausea, and body pain. It’s difficult not to get worried when a child is sick, so it is advisable to call the doctor when the fever and headaches do not subside even after they have been given medication. With children, it is very important to monitor other symptoms that may occur with the fever and headaches. This way, it will be easier for the doctor to find out what’s wrong with the child and prescribe the necessary antibiotics, antiviral or other medication needed to treat the disease as well as to alleviate the symptoms.

Fever Headaches in Adults

The combination of headaches and fever is a little more common in adults as there are many reasons why headaches can coincide with a low or high grade fever in adults. Factors like stress, sinus problems and the regular occurrence of migraines can cause a person to develop a headache with or without a fever. Although the fever and headache combination is more common in adults, it’s still a possibility that there’s an underlying illness that is causing these symptoms. Even if meningitis and encephalitis are considered childhood diseases, it can still affect adults with an impaired immune system.

Most adults self-medicate when experiencing symptoms like fever and headaches which accounts for the high sales of over-the-counter pain and fever medications. This practice is generally considered safe; however, if symptoms persist even after taking medication, then it’s time to consult a doctor.

Treatment for Headache and Fever

The occurrence of fever and headaches are symptoms or manifestations of an underlying viral or bacterial infection and are not considered illnesses in themselves. This is why treating the symptoms may bring temporary relief, but unless the infection is treated or naturally fought off by the body, the symptoms can and most of the time, will still persist. Getting to the bottom of the infection and treating that will not only alleviate the pain and bring a person’s temperature down, it will also prevent the infection from progressing any further and cause complications that may lead to death.

The discomfort of running a fever combined with a bad headache can cause a person to feel irritable and weak, and while treating the symptoms won’t get rid of the infection or cure the disease, it will help the patient feel much better while trying to fight off the infection. Getting a lot of rest and sleep can really help alleviate headaches and reduce a person’s temperature. Mixing that up with taking pain and fever medications such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen can help a person recover their strength much quicker. Also, headaches can also develop because of the fever. The body gets dehydrated and the person begins to feel pain amplified by the loss of water in the body. Efforts to rehydrate will not only help alleviate the headache, it also helps bring down a person’s temperature.

It’s never a good idea to ignore symptoms of any kind. Whether you are the self-medicating type or someone who goes to see a doctor when symptoms of an infection present themselves it is best to get a proper diagnosis in order to treat both the fever headaches and the underlying infection properly.