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[Mechanisms of fever]
Gilles Kaplanski1, Valérie Marin
1Service de médecine Interne Hôpital de la Conception 13385 Marseille. gkaplanski@marseille.inserm.fr
La Revue Du Praticien
|March 28, 2002
Summary
Fever is an adaptive immune response involving cytokines that signal the brain. However, its specific benefits for human health remain unclear.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Neuroscience
- Physiology
Background:
- Fever is a conserved, adaptive host defense mechanism.
- It is part of the broader acute phase response to infection or injury.
- Fever involves pyrogenic cytokines like interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor alpha.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize the physiological mechanisms of fever.
- To discuss the role of fever mediators.
- To evaluate the established benefits of fever in humans.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on fever and the acute phase response.
- Analysis of cytokine signaling pathways involved in thermoregulation.
- Examination of evolutionary conservation of fever.
Main Results:
- Fever is triggered by host-derived pyrogenic cytokines (e.g., IL-1, TNF-α, IL-6, interferons).
- These cytokines act on the hypothalamus, primarily via prostaglandin E2, to elevate body temperature.
- The precise beneficial effects of fever in human disease are not well-established.
Conclusions:
- Fever is a complex physiological response with evolutionary significance.
- While the mediators and mechanisms are understood, the adaptive value in humans requires further investigation.