Chronic Stress May Be Making You Feel Feverish

Feeling feverish? Could it actually be from stress?

Researchers found that psychogenic fever can manifest itself via high body temperature, according to a new study. It's caused by exposure to emotional events or to chronic stress, however it's rarely been examined, researchers say.

"High body temperature is just one of the symptoms induced or exacerbated by stress," said Dr. Takakazu Oka, of the Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, in a news release. "Patients ask for the treatment of fever not just their temperature be normalized, but all symptoms to be treated."

Though there is no epidemiological study of psychogenic fevers at this time, Oka says he believes that the condition is relatively widespread based on available case reports and his own clinical practice.

While several treatment options are available, they are similar to treatments of other stress-related diseases and not specific to psychogenic fever.  However, Oka said he is confident that with more studies, there will be better hopes for future treatment. He explains, "Because even their doctors did not believe the fever is caused by or related with psychological stress... Recent animal studies enable the doctors to be aware of this pathophysiology."

Now, instead of referring to the issue with the traditional term "psychogenic fever," Oka proposes that it be called "functional hypothermia," so as to prevent stigmatization of patients in a clinical setting with both stress-related pathology and impaired functioning of the autonomic nervous system. 

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