Answer
Normal working of the human body requires the maintenance of a stable working temperature-- normally heat loss from the body is matched by heat production. If, however, the body temperature rises too high above normal body temperature range, this condition is called hyperthermia (or fever). This causes some metabolic reactions to proceed too quickly and coordination of the metabolic reactions is disrupted. This disruption results in dysfunction that could result in death. On the other hand, if heat loss exceeds heat generation, the the body temperature falls too far below the normal temperature range; this condition is called hypothermia. At these low temperatures the body's metabolic reactions may proceed too slowly to maintain life. Therefore, for good health there must be a balance between heat generation and heat loss from the body. This is achieved by the process of thermoregulation.
Work Step by Step
The normal human body temperature is usually given as 98.6 deg .F (37 deg C) with a range of 97.7 F to 99 deg F (36.1 deg C -37.2 deg C.) A temperature below 95 deg F (35 deg C) is regarded as hypothermic. The terms fever and hyperthermia both indicate a condition in which the body temperature has risen above the normal range (>99.5 deg F) but the two conditions are different physiologically.
The beginning temperature for fever is given as > 99.5 deg F (>37.5 deg. C) or >100.4 deg F ( >38.3 deg C)
Hyperpyrexia is very high fever > 104 deg F; >41 deg C.
Fever is different from other forms of hypothermia : it is the only form of temperature elevation in which the body temperature set point is reset, and which responds readily to antipyretic drugs like aspirin and acetaminophen and ibuprofen. In fever, the body's temperature set point is raised; in hypothermia the set point remains the same, but the body's temperature regulation mechanism is overwhelmed.
