Table 1 Summary of the beneficial and detrimental effects of fever
From: Clinical review: Fever in septic ICU patients - friend or foe?
Beneficial effects | Detrimental effects |
|---|---|
On invading microorganism | Increased metabolic demand and oxygen consumption (myocardial and neurological injuries) |
Reduced growth/prolonged growth time | Source of patients' discomfort? |
Increased antibiotic sensitivity/reduced minimal inhibitory concentration | Children's seizures? (Controversial) |
Accelerated immune response | Collateral tissue damage? |
Increased mobility of polymorphonuclear cells | |
Increased phagocytosis | |
Increased T-helper cell adherence | |
Prevention of lymphocytes cell reduction (CD4 T cells and B cells) | |
Attenuated immune response/protection against the collateral damage | |
Increased heat shock protein causing a decrease of NF-κB | |
Reduced TNFα | |
Reduced IFNγ |