Chills are caused by fever or cold. Most often benign, these irregular and involuntary tremors participate in thermoregulation. The point with Faïza Bossy, general practitioner in Paris.
Definition: what are chills?
“It is above all a feeling cold which can occur with or without fever“, explains Faïza Bossy, general practitioner in Paris.
The thrill is a”feeling cold with involuntary tremors by increased muscle tone and reflex contractions of many muscles (chattering of teeth, etc.), cutaneous vasoconstriction and piloerection (“goosebumps”), occurring in irregular bouts either during fight against the cold which leads to a noticeable release of heat (thermal shivering), either as sign of a bout of fever (infectious thrill)“, notes the Academy of Medicine in its Medical dictionary.
What causes chills?
Four causes are at the origin of chills:
- Cold : “prolonged exposure to a cold environment causes chills”
- The psychological cause : “nervousness and fear can cause chills”
- Fever – and all the pathologies and infections of which it is the symptom – are always the source of chills
- The withdrawal syndrome when stopping drug use of medication
Chills without fever: the sign of what?
Chills without fever are a sign of feeling cold, emotional upset or withdrawal syndrome.
Chills with fever: a sign of what?
“Any condition that may be responsible for the fever will cause chills. This is a corollary. A fever always leads to chills via the body’s thermal clock. It’s an alert sent by the body“, notes the general practitioner.
“It’s an alert sent by the body”
We feel them more or less well depending on the subject concerned: a baby or an elderly person may feel less or not feel at all the chills of fever. Some pathologies cause chills linked to bouts of fever; the malaria notably. “Among the characteristics of this disease are bouts of fever, called malaria attacks. The patient goes from 37° to 40° in a very short time. The shivers are then violent tremors, very difficult to bear. Same thing for the dengue and all pathologies with rapid temperature variation“, develops our expert. She adds: “them severe hypoglycaemia are the cause of heavy sweating, accompanied by chills. They are also found in severe inflammatory diseases, violent allergic reactions and serious infections. Some immunocompromised patients who are decompensating may also be prone to intense chills“, indicates the general practitioner. Note: chills are the sign of an underlying disease when they are accompanied by other symptoms (pain, fever, etc.).
When and who to consult?
Chills associated with prolonged fever require consultation his attending physician.
The chill is not a pathology, it cannot be cured. “This is a clinical sign that is not always significant“, notes our expert. Apart from the cold and the psychological cause, the treatment will depend on the cause. In the presence of symptoms of a transient and benign fever (body aches, chills, headaches), taking paracetamol can relieve the patient.
Thanks to Faïza Bossy, general practitioner in Paris.