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Would you consider leaving fever untreated in patients with sepsis to potentially enhance immune responses and antimicrobial efficacy?

2 Answers
Mednet Member
Mednet Member
Infectious Disease · University of Louisville Health Sciences Center

In light of the review article attached (Tilanus et al., PMID 41113323), there is some data reviewed supporting that fever is actually therapeutic. Four articles are of special interest in the review. Two are from the 70s, before sepsis was defined as it is today. Two are in the last 15 years, but o...

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Mednet Member
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Infectious Disease · Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center

Medicine has a habit of forgetting its own history. I’ve never understood the reflexive need—beyond patient comfort—to suppress fever below 104°F (40°C).

The article begins, “Fever is widely regarded as harmful for the patient.” I’m not sure who this “widely” refers to. Fever is a conserved biologic...

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