Does Alcohol Withdrawal Cause Fever florida

Does Alcohol Withdrawal Cause Fever?

What is fever? Fever is one of the body’s most original defenses against infection or assault. The technical definition, for medical practitioners, defines this as a core body temperature of 100.4-100.9 F, which is about 3 degrees higher than what is considered a normal temperature. Other terms, such as hyperthermia and pyrexia, are also used interchangeably, although the understanding of these two terms does not have any precise definition. However, what is more useful and interesting to understand is what causes a fever and why it is occurring.

What causes fever?

When the body notices a foreign intruder, such as bacteria (known as sepsis), it releases tiny components of the immune system that act on the brain as a signal to increase temperature. This area of the brain is always in direct contact with circulating blood in the body, which renders it capable of performing this form of surveillance.

Sometimes, toxins produced by bacteria can act on this area of the brain directly to trigger this response. This is actually a very fine-tuned evolutionary mechanism, raises temperatures above what bacteria and fungi can survive without harming body cells themselves, as well as allows for key parts of the immune system to become widely circulated. In a fortunate coincidence, antibiotic drugs also work better at these higher temperatures.

Alcohol Tremors “The Shakes”: Fast Facts, Causes and Treatment

In moderation, alcohol can be part of a healthy lifestyle. Government guidelines define moderate alcohol consumption as one daily alcoholic beverage for women, and up to two drinks per day for men. Excessive alcohol use, on the other hand, can become problematic and lead to an alcohol addiction, which professionals call an alcohol use disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, (DSM-5) describes the signs of an alcohol use disorder. These include symptoms such as cravings for alcohol, difficulty cutting down on drinking, and continuing to drink, even when it causes problems with work or family. Another sign of an alcohol use disorder is experiencing symptoms of withdrawal when alcohol begins to leave the body. One such withdrawal symptom is tremors, or “the shakes.”